Epiphany
by loulou26
Summary: On a night out to celebrate her birthday, Lois encounters a hypnotist with extraordinary abilities. Once done, Lois can't remember anything about the encounter but as time goes on, she begins to realise that not all is as it seems when it comes to Clark K
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One_**

"I can't believe you're making me do this!" Lois Lane grumbled.

Chloe Sullivan, her best friend and cousin, turned to face her, walking backwards with a bounce in her step. "Come on Lois, it's your birthday, you should be having fun."

Lois surveyed her surroundings. "Yeah, turning twenty three is bad enough Chlo, without adding a bunch of screaming kids, angry parents, and teenagers in a love fest to the mix. I mean seriously, a carnival?"

"What's wrong with carnivals? I love them."

"Have you forgotten about the incident of 2003?" Chloe, unfazed by her older cousin's attitude, shrugged her shoulders and fell back in step beside her.

"Lois, you've been working non stop at the Planet, you hardly ever take a break. What's the harm in having one night off? To just let your hair down and enjoy your birthday."

"I would enjoy it anywhere as long as I was with you Chlo. But I'm not sure me throwing up after going on something as slow as the big wheel will make me feel any happier."

Chloe laughed as Lois grimaced at the memory. They had just stepped off the big wheel, turning to face a couple of guys who had given them a whistle, and then…Lois lost the recently eaten popcorn and hot dog, along with her dignity, and had sworn never to go on one since.  
A rollercoaster she could've dealt with, but the big wheel, come on, those things moved slower than an old lady. She had tried to blame the sandwich she had eaten at lunch but knew that Chloe had never bought that excuse.

"Look, I know that you're feeling a little down lately…"

"I am not down!" Lois disagreed. Chloe fixed her with a sceptical stare.

"Come on Lois, I have eyes in my head. Even Clark's noticed that something's not right with you."

At the mention of her other friend, the farm boy who constantly bugged and irritated her to no end, Lois stopped. "What do you mean Clark's noticed? What did he say?"

"He just mentioned that you didn't seem your usual bossy…well he thinks that maybe it has something to do with working with him." Chloe said quickly, trying to cover her slip, but Lois knew what she was going to say.

"Why on earth would he think that?" Lois asked incredulously.

"Beats me, you know Clark, he's always concerned about everyone else but himself. He just likes to make sure that people are happy."

Lois did know that, it was also one of the reasons that she had started to really enjoy working with him lately. It was confusing her big time. They had always been the kind of friends that were secret friends, on the outside everyone saw the bantering, argumentative couple but deep down, she knew that Clark cared for her. And if she was honest, she cared a lot more about him than she let on.

He had changed in the two months since starting at the Daily Planet. Something was different about him but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. As they had done a few investigations together, she had found herself becoming increasingly less hostile towards him and teased him less. Maybe that was what he had noticed. It was their thing, teasing arguments, insults delivered but not in a mean way, that was Lois and Clark at their best. But lately, the dynamic between them had begun to shift and she had no idea what to do about it.

"Well, be that as it may, it has nothing to do with Smallville. I'm actually surprised at how well he's doing at the Planet."

Chloe stopped, grabbed her arm and smirked at her. "Did I just hear Lois Lane give Clark Kent a compliment?"

"Shut up." Lois tugged her arm free, accidentally hitting someone behind her.

"Oh sorry…" She muttered, turning around to face whoever she had elbowed, and was shocked to see herself looking up into two smiling blue eyes. "Smallville, what are you doing here?" She asked, her tone a little frosty.

He gave her a surprised look. "Chloe said we were going out tonight to celebrate your birthday." He frowned. "She did tell you I was coming didn't she?"

Lois scowled at a grinning Chloe. "No, she left that little detail out. But since you're here…"

"Oh I almost forgot." He pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to her. It was a card.

"Happy birthday Lois, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to give you it this morning but you were out all day and…" He trailed off as Lois opened the card. She felt a smile creep up her face as she read the words he had written. Simple but to the point.

_Happy Birthday Lois,  
Love, Smallville.  
_  
He had signed it Smallville? She raised her eyes to his and there was a split second where she felt something pass between them. But that was just her imagination. She cleared her throat and pocketed the card, smiling up at him awkwardly.

"Thanks Smallville. Now…" She clapped her hands together. "Where to next Chlo?"

"Ooh, how about this?" Chloe pointed over at a curtained booth and Lois immediately felt the sarcasm just waiting to find a release. She clamped her mouth shut and looked at the sign in front of it.

"Huh, never seen a hypnotist at a carnival before. I kind of actually wanna go in," She registered Chloe's surprised look. "Just to see what it's like. Tell you what, I'll go in and I'll meet you two over at the hall of mirrors."

Clark and Chloe shared a quick glance. "Okay, if you're sure?" Chloe said, her tone telling Lois that she was pleased she had decided to join the fun rather than grumble about it.

"I'm sure. I'll see you in a few." She headed into the booth, and sat down.

A small circular table with a lamp in the centre was all that was in there, and Lois thought it looked more like a fortune teller's booth than a hypnotist's.

A few seconds later the curtain pulled back to a woman who looked to be in her early forties, with jet black hair that reached down to her butt.

"Well hello there," She greeted Lois warmly as she sat down.

"Oh hi,"

"And what may I help you with today young lady?" The woman asked, her black hair falling in long waves around her shoulders.

"Uh well, what is it that you do?" Lois asked, suddenly unsure.

"I can do anything." She replied sincerely. "From quitting smoking to losing weight," Her brown eyes assessed Lois. "None of which I see you need help any with. So what's it to be?"

"There's actually nothing…"

"Ah, I see something." She said, staring hard at Lois.

"Fortune teller as well are you?" Lois asked, she was beginning to feel a little stupid for even coming in here.

"No, I just see things a little more clearly than most people. Give me your hand Lois."

"How did you know my name?" Lois asked, alarmed that even though she didn't tell it to, her hand had made its way into hers.

"Like I said, I'm very observant. I think I know what you need. Now, I want you to look directly into this and don't take your eyes off it…" She held something up and immediately, Lois' eyes were drawn straight to it. It was a beautiful gold locket on a long chain with some kind of green gemstone in the centre.

"Now I want you to relax Lois…" The woman spoke in soft tones as she started swinging the locket back and forth. "Take a deep breath and focus on my voice."

Lois did as she was instructed, barely registering the world outside fading away as she entered her trance. The woman took a few moments to study Lois, as if reaching into her mind.

"You're confused about something…a man…you don't know how you feel about him."

"Yes." Lois replied.

"You're feeling conflicted. This man, he's a close friend. You spend time with him daily but he's not the same man you knew before. He's different."

"Yes."

"You feel that he's not always as he appears to be. There's something more about this Clark Kent?"

"Yes."

"I see there have been gaps in your history with this man." She said, Lois was too far under to notice that this woman should not know these kinds of things. "I want you to cast your mind back, open the doors that your mind has locked Lois, open them and walk through. What do you see?"

Lois took a mental step towards that door, and on the other side there was… "Nothing. There's nothing there."

Ten minutes of careful probing later, there was still no progress and the woman had decided to give up. Trying another tactic she said. "When you leave here Lois, I want you keep your mind open, let him in. Don't push him away. Do this and I'm sure that in time, you will find yourself entering a place no one else ever has. Now when I click my fingers, you will return to your normal state."

And just like that, Lois was back in the room. She blinked a few times and shook her head to dispel the sudden bout of dizziness.

"Sorry about that, first time is always kind of rough. But just remember what I told you Lois."

"I would if I could actually remember it _now_." Lois replied, deeply confused.

The woman smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, it will come to you."

With a shaky hand, Lois handed over a bill and quickly made her exit. Once outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air and closed her eyes. What had just happened? She couldn't remember a word that woman had said to her. She was no expert, but she didn't think that hypnotism was supposed to have that kind of effect. Putting it down to yet another carnival rip-off, Lois headed towards the hall of mirrors to find Chloe and Clark.

"Lois!" She heard Clark calling her name and turned to find him and Chloe waiting by the Ghost Train ride.

"Why are you over here?" she asked.

"The mirrors can wait, I love a good ghost ride but Clark here's too scared to go in with me," Lois found herself laughing along with Chloe at the indignant look on Clark's face.

"I'm not scared Chloe. I just don't like being on moving things in complete darkness, I get all disoriented, it makes me feel sick."

"Aw, poor Smallville." Lois cooed sarcastically.

"Come on Clark, man up and get in there." She ordered. "Most men would kill for a chance to be in the dark with two gorgeous women such as ourselves." She laughed as she put an arm around Chloe's shoulders.

"Well…I'm different." He replied, and all of a sudden a bright flash went off in Lois' eyes like the flash from a camera. An image whizzed through her mind, blurs of bright vivid colours, but it was gone too fast for her to even register what it was.

"Whoa." She pressed a hand to her spinning head.

"Hey, you okay?" Chloe asked, grabbing hold of her arm. "You don't look so hot Lois."  
Lois dragged in a breath, and glanced up to see both Clark and Chloe watching her in concern.

"I'm fine. Just a little head rush." She replied, feeling a little better, but as she tried to focus on what she'd seen, nothing but a blur of red and blue came up.


	2. Chapter 2

___**Chapter Two**_

A little while later, Clark, Lois and Chloe were seated in what was becoming one of their favourite places in Metropolis, The Coffee Stop. Clark liked it there because they served some of the best muffins he'd tasted besides his mom's, and Lois of course, loved the coffee. And both liked that fact that it was only a block away from the Daily Planet.

"You feeling better now?" Chloe asked as she took a sip of her latte.

Lois rolled her eyes. "I was fine earlier Chlo. I told you, it was just head rush, probably because I had hardly eaten anything all day."

"Well maybe it's a sign that you've been pushing yourself too hard lately." Chloe replied, looking unconvinced by her explanation.

"The life of an investigative reporter is never slow Chloe, you know that." Lois said flippantly, her fingers toying with the edge of the menu in front of her.

Chloe sighed and looked over at Clark for support, but he knew better than to get in between those two. Well, he knew better than to get in between anyone and Lois Lane. Eventually Chloe decided to give up and just enjoy her coffee, then Lois turned her attention towards him.

"So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow Smallville? Any articles?"

"None at the moment." He replied carefully, wondering where she was going with this, she never asked him about his work and usually not so politely. She assumed that he was too fresh in the game to actually write anything other than obituaries. Though she did tell him that he had talent. However, Lois said nothing else about it, shrugging as she studied the remains of her coffee.

"Well, looks like I need a refill. And I do believe that it's your round Smallville." She grinned at him, interlacing her fingers as she leaned her chin on her hands on the table.

"Well, we wouldn't want you to go thirsty now would we? Your throat might dry up and stop you from talking" He replied sarcastically, getting up. "Chloe, you want another one?"

"Hmm? Oh, no I'm good thanks." Clark walked away to the counter, leaving the two girls alone.

"So…did your dad call?" Chloe asked.

"Yep. The obligatory birthday phone call came through loud and clear."

"What about Lucy?"

Lois scoffed. "What do you think? She's far too busy…wherever she is." Clark frowned, over hearing their conversation.

"Maybe she's just really busy, you know, can't get to a phone or something?" Chloe offered. Clark caught a brief glimpse of a frown before Lois quickly masked it with a smile.

"I'm sure. Nah, knowing Lucy and by now I think I do, she's forgotten all about it. But it's not a big deal, really. I'm over this whole getting old thing anyway."

Chloe chuckled. "Lois you're only twenty-three."

"Exactly!"

"Hi there handsome, what can I get you?" A young waitress appeared behind the counter, interrupting Clark's thoughts.

He smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up a little at the blatant approval her eyes were giving him, quickly placed his order and tried to distract himself from the conversation Chloe and Lois were having. He wasn't intentionally listening in, but the more he heard, the more intrigued he became.

Maybe the lack of correspondence with Lucy had something to do with Lois' attitude change lately. She had been a little different ever since he had started working at the Planet but it had gotten worse in the last week. At first he thought that maybe it was having to work in such close quarters with him, but she was the one who gave him the application in the first place.

So he was confused as to why she had started avoiding him, but yet at the same time, whenever she did see him, she was nice. A little too nice. It was starting to freak him out a little. And as much as it irritated him, he missed the banter that had become as much a part of their daily routine as brushing their teeth.

"Anything else?" The waitress asked with a polite smile as she placed his order in front of him. He looked over at Lois and Chloe, an idea slowly coming to him, then back at the waitress.

"Actually, there is…"

"Geez what took you so long Smallville, were you making it yourself?" Lois asked as Clark sat back down.

"I'm sorry Lois, I didn't know your caffeine fix was that urgent." He smirked, raising his cup to his lips, tonight was the first time in a week that she'd been her usual self around him. Seeing that Lois was about to take a sip of her coffee, he warned. "Careful, that's hot."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Thank you Mr States-The-Obvious." She gently blew over her mug, and Clark had the satisfaction of seeing her wince ever so slightly as she took a defiant sip.

"Uh Lois," Chloe chimed in. "Is it okay if I shoot off now? Jimmy's working late at the Planet and I promised I'd take him something to eat."

"Sure Chloe, and thanks…you know, for tonight. I had a good time." Chloe drew her in for a hug but chuckled in her ear.

"Anytime. Is your car still here?"

"No, I came with you remember?"

Chloe's face fell. "Oh yeah."

"Hey don't worry about it Chloe, I can drive Lois home." Clark offered, silently thankful that he had driven to Metropolis in order to pick up some spare parts for his tractor earlier because he had offered without really thinking.

"Really? Thanks Clark, is that okay with you Lois?"

"Do I have a choice?" She said, smiling tightly at her cousin and Clark wondered why the idea of sharing a ride home with him was such an appalling thought for her.

"Thanks Lois, happy birthday. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Clark nodded and looked back at Lois with a smile.

"What are you grinning for anyway?" She huffed.

"Oh nothing…" Clark replied, leaning back in his chair as the waitress who had served him earlier appeared next to the table, carrying a small plate with a blueberry muffin on it.

"Here you go." She said, smiling at him briefly before placing it down in front of Lois and then walking away.

"What is that?" Lois asked warily, her eyes cautiously taking in the item before her.

"What does it look like?" He chuckled.

"It looks like a muffin with a candle in it."

Her eyes shot up to his and he could see a hint of something there but didn't know what it was. He had hoped that this would cheer her up, he didn't like seeing anyone miserable, and Lois was a good friend…most of the time. There were definitely times when she annoyed him on a level that no one else could reach, but then there had been times when she had been the only person who seemed to truly know him. It occurred to him that she was a better friend than either of them knew.

"Then that's what it must be." Though he began to wonder if he had done the wrong thing. "I know you love blueberry muffins and I thought that, since it's your birthday…"

Lois swallowed hard and looked down at the muffin.

"Well this has to be a first, Lois Lane stumped for words." He laughed.

Wondering what she was going to fire back at him, Clark was taken by surprise at her response. She looked up into his eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips, and said. "Thank you Clark." That was weird, and most definitely not what he had been expecting.

His smile faded a little as he looked at her, there was a moment where neither of them spoke, just simply looked into each other's eyes and Clark suddenly found himself feeling a little shy, though he had no idea why.

Chloe was his best friend, she knew his secret and had been there for him countless times over the years, but he knew that she had placed him on some kind of pedestal, seeing him as a hero.

But Lois, she only knew Clark Kent, and even though they argued a lot, she knew the real him. He felt as if he could be himself around her the most. He honestly liked who he was when he was around her.

He cleared his throat and smiled. "You're uh…you're welcome Lois."

The drive home was a quiet one, with neither of them saying much besides idle chit chat for the duration. Lois felt a little strange, she was still thinking about what Clark had done for her back in the café. Though it was a small gesture, nothing that a friend wouldn't do for another, it had deeply affected her.

It was a very thoughtful and sweet thing for him to do. But then again, she shouldn't really be surprised, Clark was the kind of person who would do something like that. It was in his innately good nature to please people and as much as she teased him for it, she also admired it as well. There weren't a lot of guys left like him. Sometimes it seemed as if he was an entirely different species from the rest of them, he always looked for the best in people.

As they reached Smallville, Lois was still confused by her own feelings towards the situation. Though she knew there was nothing in it, she found herself wondering what it would be like if he were to turn his attentions to her. What would she actually do? How would she react? She didn't know the answer to that question.

But of course, she knew it would never happen. Not while Lana still had his heart. She wondered as she cast a quick glance at him, if he would ever truly be able to move on from her. The woman could do no wrong in his eyes. Normally Lois would not get involved, what Clark did with his life was his business. But after witnessing what she had done to him last year, standing there watching as his heart broke into pieces and he started to crumble, Lois had to admit that maybe she had let that get to her more than she'd thought.

He'd held on to her so tightly, trying desperately not to break down in her arms but she had known that he would, he simply couldn't hold it in. She had been so proud of him when he had finally decided to accept her offer of applying at the Daily Planet, it seemed like he wanted to take a positive step forward with his life. And he was doing well.

But that was what was confusing her, when had she stopped seeing him as the geeky farm boy? The one who annoyed her, made her blood practically boil. When had he suddenly become a man that, if she let herself, she could become very attracted to? It just didn't make any sense.

She shook her head, not allowing those thoughts to take root, it was just…physical attraction, that's all it was. Working closely with him on a daily basis. Seeing him wearing those clothes...It had to be. She had known him for four years, if she was going to be attracted to him, it would've happened already. Wouldn't it?

"You're awfully quiet tonight Lois," Clark piped up, drawing her back from her thoughts. She looked at him out the corner of one eye as he watched the road ahead.

"Sorry, I'm…tired." She lied. The truth was, she simply couldn't think of anything to say to him.

"Well we're in Smallville, you'll be home in no time." He flicked her a smile. "So, did you have a nice birthday?"

"I did, actually."

"Even though you didn't know I was coming and I still turned up?" He said with a chuckle.

"Even though…" she agreed, smiling back. "Though I do think that you could've gone on the ghost ride with us, it wasn't even that dark in there Clarkie," She teased.

Clark scowled at her. "I wasn't scared of the dark Lois."

"No, of course not, it's not like you have an Elmer Fudd night light to keep away the boogieman is it?" She laughed, feeling a little of the tension leave her body as she fell back into the familiar way of dealing with him.

"Hey, I don't have that anymore!" He defended, his face crumpling into a frown.

"Did you break it?" She laughed.

"No I threw it out a very long time ago." He stopped and drew in a frustrated breath, as if he realised he was revealing too much information. "And anyway, I could practically hear you screaming from outside."

It was Lois' turn to frown. "I was not screaming, I was just…enjoying myself. I love things jumping out at me. I mean, you know they're there, you know they're going to jump out so you know you shouldn't actually jump when they do. But it's the timing, things have a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it."

As she finished her sentence, a flash similar to the one she'd had before hit her, this time a little slower and she was actually seeing herself and Clark, sitting in the loft in his barn.

Her words floated over to her as she said, _"Well, that's what I'm here for Smallville. One save at a time."_

Had she really smiled at him like that? She remembered that moment well, it had been just after Clark had found out about Lex and Lana and she had felt the need to dish out some tough love. But really, deep down, she had just wanted to make sure that he was okay.

The vision ended abruptly, temporarily catching her off guard so much that she reached out to grab the seat next to her, which just so happened to be where Clark's hand was resting.

The second her skin made contact with his, she was hit with another flash. This time she was transported back to the hospital, just after Dark Thursday.

He was holding her hand, smiling at her as he said. _"Well then, I'm glad you're back."_

What was going on? Why was she suddenly getting visions of her past and all of them involving Clark? She didn't have time to figure that out before she noticed that Clark's hand had somehow flipped over and was holding onto hers, his eyes assessing her in concern.

"Hey, you okay? You kind of zoned out on me again."

"I'm uh…fine." She quickly took her hand back and placed it in her lap. She kept her eyes on the road and was relieved when she saw the Talon come into view. Clark pulled up out front and turned off the engine.

"You know Lois," He started, but paused as he looked over at her climbing out of the truck. "If there's something bothering you, you know that you can always talk to me don't you? I mean I know we pretend not to care and we argue…well, a lot. But you know that if you ever need a friend, I'm here right?"

Lois smiled, fighting hard to quell the sudden rush of something she couldn't define in her gut. "Thanks Smallville, but I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early."

She closed the door before he could say anything else. He nodded once at her, started the engine and drove away. As soon as she was inside, she sat herself down at one of the tables, taking a moment to compose herself.

"What is going on?" She asked herself. But she was very afraid that she already knew the answer to that. She was starting to have strong feelings for Clark Kent, and they weren't the platonic kind.


	3. Chapter 3

___**Chapter Three**_

Clark opened his eyes to the sun shining in through his bedroom window. He could hear the birds chirping outside, the rooster sounding out his early morning wake up call. He rolled onto his back and lay staring at the ceiling. The house was so quiet with just him living there.

He missed the sounds of his dad pottering around in the bathroom, the smells of his mom cooking breakfast downstairs. He wished, just for a moment, that he could have all that back again. Heck even the sound of Lois griping about him hogging the shower would've been welcome at that point.

_Lois_. He found his thoughts drifting to her as he remembered the way she had been acting the previous night. She was acting so strange lately. And the way she kept zoning out as if she wasn't even on this planet was starting to concern him. He felt the bed dip next to him as Shelby jumped up, tapping him on the chest with his paw.

"Morning boy, you want to go out?" He reached over and scratched his ear and then got out of bed.

After he let Shelby out, he put on a pot of coffee and headed back upstairs for a shower to get ready for work. He changed into one of his newest suits, and made his way back downstairs where Shelby was already whining and scratching at the door to be let in.

"Ready for some breakfast boy?" He chuckled as Shelby trotted in past him.

"You know I still can't get used to it being just you and me around here." He said as he took out a can of dog food and as he reached into the drawer for the can opener, his eyes fell on a little beige box.

He already knew what was inside it, but he couldn't help opening it anyway. Reaching inside, he pulled out the necklace that Lana had worn as a freshman in high school. The clear crystal glittered in the light as he thought back to the times when Lana was living here.

She had been gone for several months now and even though he missed her, a part of him knew that things had been so strained in their relationship, he didn't know if they would've survived it if she hadn't left. She had changed so much from the girl he had fallen in love with. After what Lex did to her, he couldn't blame her, but he had begun to see a darkness in her that terrified him.

He had tried to help her, but realised that there was only one person who could do that. Lana had to do it herself. And when she had finally reassessed her life, she had walked away from him, away from what he thought they'd had and he couldn't help but wonder if he really ever meant much to her.

He had tried hard to move on since then, and he honestly liked the way his life was heading now. Lana had felt like she was holding him back from being the hero the world needed. He hated to think that maybe she was right to a certain degree. And that he was able to go on after she left.

But what did that say about their relationship, that he could survive without her? Maybe, on some level, he hadn't loved her as much as he thought.

He was helping people more now, and he loved his job at the Daily Planet. And if he was honest, he actually liked working with Lois too. He never felt alone when he was around her, she always found a way of making him smile, whether she meant to or not. And she was a good friend.

His mind drifted back to the day that he had watched Lana's goodbye dvd. She had been there, standing in his doorway, tears in her eyes, tears for him. And she said nothing. She just ran to him and held him.

In that moment, the woman who usually put her foot in her mouth, gave him her strength, she knew what he needed, and that was the moment he had stopped seeing her as someone who was begrudgingly his friend, and started seeing the special qualities that he doubted she even knew she possessed.

As he began opening the can, his cell phone started ringing and he answered it without even looking who was calling.

"Hello?"

"I need you Smallville!" Lois' voice came through loud clear, and his eyes widened for a second as he wondered if she was in some sort of trouble. This was Lois Lane after all. But after a couple of seconds, she carried on.

"I just got to the Planet and I'm already having the work day from hell. What's your E.T.A?"

Whatever it was sounded urgent and Clark had been about ready to leave anyway, so he said. "I'm flying into the building right now. I'll be there in a second." He hung up, grabbed his jacket and sped out of the door, only to return a few seconds later to put out the food for Shelby, realising that he'd forgotten.

"Go ahead." He said when Shelby looked a tad reluctant to move towards the bowl. "Come on." Eventually Shelby began eating, Clark quickly stroked him and then took off again.

Lois stood next to her desk, feeling very frustrated. She had barely had a wink of sleep all night and arrived at work this morning to a stack of paperwork waiting to be done. She picked up her phone again and dialled Clark.

"Hey I thought you said you were coming in for a landing, what happened to you- run into some turbulence?" His voice sounding behind her made her jump.

"According to the clock, I'm still two minutes early. Now, what's the hurry?" He asked, readjusting his tie. She took a moment to appraise his look this morning. He looked so…manly and sexy that, for a moment, she just couldn't tear her eyes away. Clearing her throat she turned her back to him and headed over to the coffee machine.

"Well, I need you to take on some of my workload. This is my second quart of java, and I'm still not firing on all eight cylinders."

"Rough night of sleep last night?" He asked as he moved to stand beside her. He smelled good too. Damn him.

She scoffed at her own thoughts, but then tried to cover it quickly by saying. "More like no night of sleep. Jimmy moved in so he and Chloe can save their wedding pennies but the groom..snores like a freight train."

Without thinking, she let out a sigh as she said. "I am so jealous of you in that Kent farmhouse all by yourself, so many empty rooms." His face took on a sad little puppy look, one that she was powerless to resist.

"It is pretty quiet." He said sadly.

Lois felt like reaching out to him, hugging him to take away some of his loneliness. And she almost did but then she realised where her thoughts were heading and quickly tried to back-track.

However, before she could even say anything, she was hit with yet another vision. They had been happening all night. Her excuse of Jimmy snoring was just for Clark's benefit. She didn't want him to know that she had been seeing him all night in her head. She knew that this had to have some connection to the hypnotist that she'd seen the night before, and she was still sceptical about whether or not that had actually worked, but she was also intrigued as to where these visions would lead.

They were quite clearly trying to tell her something. This one was the same as all the others, only she was now seeing what she had seen when she had first met him. The day she and Clark had been chased by a helicopter full of army men, she had walked in on him in the shower at the Kent farm.

As she watched, the vision played itself over in her mind, allowing her to see, for the first time, just how incredibly sexy Clark was when half naked. Why hadn't she seen that before? She wondered. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she barely registered Clark calling her name but she couldn't snap herself out of it.

The vision seemed intent on playing itself to its conclusion. The scene shifted and all of a sudden she was standing in his doorway, watching him sleeping on the sofa. The blanket that he had on, had slipped to reveal a very muscular, toned back and she was struck with a sudden urge to run her hands over it, wondering what his skin would feel like against hers. It certainly looked smooth…

"LOIS!" Clark shouted, bringing her back to the present. She blinked a few times, shaking her head to get rid of the fog that had filled it, and looked up at him. He studied her, searching her eyes intently for some sign of what was wrong with her. She could almost believe that it was worry she saw in his eyes.

"What is going on with you? You keep doing that…"

"What?" She shrugged, walking back to her desk.

"One minute you're jabbering away and the next, it's like you're not even here."

"I'm fine. Here, you should start with this. Baby-face broker dies of ticker trouble." She passed him a folder containing the information he would need to get started. He took it, but didn't even look at it. He kept his gaze on her, making her feel oddly uncomfortable in the busy bullpen.

"You did this last night too Lois, are you feeling okay?" He continued.

"I told you, I am fine. It's nothing. Just a little sleep deprivation I guess. Now, get to work Smallville."

For a long moment he stayed still, watching her with curious eyes. Eventually, realising he wasn't going to get anything out of her, he sighed and opened the folder to look at his assignment.

He frowned as he read. "How does a healthy twenty-five year old suddenly die of a heart attack?"

Lois rolled her eyes at him, feeling a little frustrated at her own body's reactions towards him. It was all very confusing for her. One minute, he was a geeky farmer, with an affinity for wearing entirely too much plaid, the next, he was a suave, cool, confident man with a hint of mystery about him. She was still blaming all this on his wardrobe, she'd never had this problem before when he wore his paid shirts.

"I don't have time to hand hold, but the coroner's report said that the endorphin and adrenaline levels in his blood were sky-high. You know -- endorphins?" He looked at her with a questioning brow raised. "They're hormones that are released when the body performs a certain activity."

"Oh, like when you play sport." He replied, looking back down at the folder. Lois couldn't resist, she just had to take this one.

"Or there's another activity two people share, repetitive motion, builds to a climax?" She smiled seductively as she popped her coffee stick into her mouth, marvelling at his naivety.

She saw in his eyes as he caught on to her meaning and smirked at her.

"Thank you." She couldn't help but laugh as he stepped past her, still scanning the documents in his hands.

"The police say they found the victim fully clothed."

"What, he didn't even get past first base?" She asked, her mind suddenly back on the job at hand.

"And the M.E. says the hormone levels weren't only through the roof, they're higher than any normal human body can produce."

Wondering how she had missed that, she quickly snatched the folder from his hand whilst shoving her coffee cup into his other. She didn't see the irritated look he gave her as she read through what he had discovered.

Seeing an opportunity, Lois decided that it wouldn't be a complete waste of her time to accompany him on this one. And spending the day with him could have it benefits, or backfire completely, she wasn't sure which.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get down there and check it out."

"You're coming with me?" He asked, surprised.

She stopped at the door and turned around. "No need to thank me yet Smallville. Now move it."


	4. Chapter 4

___**Chapter Four**_

Clark was frustrated. He had been going through the footage from the Ace of Clubs for hours now and still wasn't any closer to finding the woman who had nearly killed Jimmy earlier that day. A woman from another planet, was going around killing men, trying to find her soul mate.

The story Lois had been too busy to work on had turned out to be more than either of them had first thought, which of course, had peaked Lois' interest. Chloe had informed Clark of what he needed to do to send this woman back to her planet but he just had to find her first.

In the back of his mind he registered that maybe he was the one person on this planet who could survive her killer kiss, and that maybe she would come looking for him. But how many people would have to die before she found him? He couldn't let that happen.

He had managed to shake Lois for most of the day, knowing that he didn't want her involved in this if it could be dangerous. As he sat in the bullpen of the Daily Planet scanning the footage, he thought of Lois, and wondered what she was doing. She was probably angry at him for blowing her off. But he knew that he could get more done on his own than with her at the moment. With the way she had been acting lately, he didn't want her anywhere near this.

He spotted Jimmy on the screen, talking at the bar with a red haired woman. Just as he was about to see her face, his screen went black along with the lights in the bullpen, casting him into darkness. He stood up and glanced around, he couldn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary. And then he heard her voice.

"Clark Kent. That's a strong name. I like it." He looked towards the stairs, but all he could see was the outline of her body.

"Who are you?" He asked, and the reply came from behind him. He turned around to see the woman who was actually quite beautiful, with long red hair and pale skin.

"I'm Maxima. You don't know how long I've searched for you."

Before he could say anything, she lunged forward, attaching her lips to his and oddly, he found himself unable to pull away from her. On some level he knew that it was just her kiss, he didn't really want to do this but it lured him in and he was powerless to stop it. He kissed her back, passionately before sweeping the entire contents of the desk next to him on the floor. He picked her up with ease and sat her down, without breaking their kiss.

She put a hand to his lips and said, breathlessly. "Not here."

He grinned at her and led her towards the elevator. Once inside her hands were all over him. He lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist as she pushed him back against the wall with a loud crash. He was so lost in her kiss that he didn't even notice that doors open, or see the person standing on the other side until her voice broke through the fog in his brain.

"Smallville!" Slowly, he pulled back, still feeling her lips on his neck. But the allure was wearing off as he stared out into the hallway and straight into the very shocked eyes of Lois Lane.

"Lois?" He asked, his throat hoarse as he squinted against the light to see her better. She looked so shocked and if he didn't know her better, a little hurt. But he was sure he was imagining that.

"I'll take the stairs." And with that, she turned on her heel and was gone. Clark watched her for a moment, wondering how he had gotten into this mess and then he felt two hands grab his face.

"Let her go." Maxima said, her tone almost pleading. He swallowed hard, unable to get the look in Lois' eyes out of his mind. He had to make this right. Maxima leaned in again to kiss him but was shocked when he pulled back. Pushing her to the side, he raced out of the elevator and caught up with Lois.

"Lois! Lois, wait!"

"What!" She yelled, spinning around to face him.

Her eyes flitted down to his bare chest, and then as she looked up they connected with his and suddenly, there was a bright flash and she was transported back to the very first time they had met. He had been stark naked after being struck by lightening and he had amnesia. She had tried hard not to look but she was only human.

She found herself actually looking at him standing there again, the way his muscles flexed as he stood up. His broad chest glimmering in the head lights from her car, the way his hair blew in the breeze. Seriously, what was up with all the visions of Clark naked? The man was hot, yes she got it.

She had been speechless then and was even more so now as she watched the scene replay itself before her eyes. She remembered that she had wrapped him in a red blanket from the trunk of her car and taken him to the local hospital. He had watched her with such curiosity as she rambled away, whilst they had been waiting for a doctor to take a look at him.

"Lois!" His voice was calling her but she couldn't seem to pull herself away. There had to be a reason that she kept seeing these things. Other than showing her how buff Clark was underneath all those cloths, she couldn't think what else it could be.

"Lois, you're starting to worry me now…Lois!" Clark grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. She looked up at him, frowning, as she remembered where she was and what she had just seen.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his forehead creasing in concern.

"Oh sorry to rain on your orgy Smallville, I think I scared off your date." She said heatedly.

"Where'd she go?" He asked more to himself, as he looked back at the empty elevator.

"Probably to find you two a motel room."

"You don't understand."

"What's not to understand, you were pulling a nine and a half weeks in the elevator. I mean it may not get you a membership in the mile high club but hey, you gotta start somewhere!" She could tell that Clark didn't know what to make of her tone. She was getting very agitated and she didn't know why. Well, she knew why, she just wasn't willing to admit it, even to herself.

"Just calm down."

"I am calm, I am perfectly calm!" She yelled, poking him in the chest for emphasis. "Why wouldn't I be calm? Dial down the ego Smallville, I don't care what you do with your love life!" She stormed off, leaving him there with a stunned expression on his face.

Lois muttered to herself all the way to her car. She was angry, frustrated, but also a little embarrassed by her outburst towards Clark. Lois was by no means a jealous person, but seeing Clark kiss that woman, brought something out in her that she didn't want to analyse.

As she buckled herself in and turned on her headlights, something blurred into her line of sight. The woman from the elevator stood before her, looking very angry. Lois only had time to draw in a sharp breath before the woman grabbed her car and threw it across the street as if it were a football. It landed upside down on top of another car and Lois had to kick the glass to get out.

"I couldn't kill you in front of him." Her voice sounded very close and Lois looked up to see her standing in front of her. "But now that we're alone I'll make sure you'll never be able to take him away."

"Who, Smallville?" Lois asked, confused as to why this woman thought she was any kind of threat. "Look, I don't know who or what you are, but you got it all wrong, lady. There is nothing romantic between Lois and Clark."

"You have a deep connection to him. I felt it." Lois was surprised. A connection? Sure they were friends but…

"Then your radar's on the fritz. Cause even on a good day, we're barely friends." She said, hoping that she could throw this woman off course, if only long enough for her to get away. She knew that there was no chance she could take her, she had just thrown her car across the street for heaven's sake.

"He would never have been able to pull away from me if he wasn't drawn by his attraction to you." Attraction? Clark could never be attracted to her. Could he?

"Clark is about as attracted to me as a Red Sox fan to the Yankees."

"Oh he may not know it yet. But believe me there's a bond. And I could see it on your face when you caught us together, you feel it too." Lois opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again, unsure of what exactly to respond with.

"But I've finally found the man I've wanted all my life and you can't have him!"

Maxima moved towards her, raising her fist just as Lois shook herself free and stood up. She suddenly felt inexplicably angry, and even though she knew it was a stupid move, she raised her fists and said. "Bring it b***h!"

However before the woman could hit her, there was a whoosh of air, and the next thing Lois knew, she was staring at an empty pavement.

Clark slowed down as he rounded a corner, slamming Maxima hard into the wall. She laughed as he let go of her shoulders.

"Finally, a man with some fight in him. None of the men on my planet had the stamina to keep up."

Clark turned away from her. "Maybe you shouldn't have come on so strong."

"You didn't seem to mind, you came back for more." She smirked.

"I came back to stop you from killing Lois. What would you have done to her if I hadn't stopped you?" When he'd heard that Maxima had gone after Lois, he ran as fast as he could to get to her. He knew that Maxima would kill her, and he couldn't let that happen.

"I couldn't let her have you."

Clark frowned. "What do you mean 'have me'. What are you talking about? There's nothing going on with me and Lois."

"Maybe not right now. But Clark, I saw the way she looked at you. She has feelings for you. And I know that you have some for her too." Maxima moved closer to him, locking eyes with him.

"Lois is one of my best friends. Of course I care about her." He said, but Maxima's words were hard to ignore. Did Lois really have feelings for him? No, that was crazy. She couldn't have. She barely liked being called his friend.

"You're my soul mate Clark." She said, taking his hands and placing them on her hips.

"You don't even know who I am." He replied. This woman knew nothing about him.

"I know the loneliness of not finding your soul mate." He wasn't aware that he'd even been searching for a soul mate. He'd once thought that it was Lana. How wrong he'd been on that. For now he was just content to focus on his job at the Daily Planet and on helping people with his abilities.

"And when we kissed, I could sense that you were as desperate as I was to find a mate. You want me…as much as I want you." She murmured seductively.

"I don't want you." Clark said, knowing that what he was saying was true, but feeling that maybe she was right about him wanting someone to love.

"It's our destiny to be together Clark. Lois could never give you what I can. No one on this planet will be a better match. You come back with me, and you'll never have to be alone again." She smoothed her hands up his chest, resting lightly on his shoulders. He gripped her wrists, staring into her eyes.

"My destiny is here, and you're not a part of it." He grabbed her wrist, and twisted the bracelet, snapping it with his strength. Maxima kept a tight grip on his hand as a portal opened up to take her back to her home planet and with one last pleading look, she was gone.

Lois quietly made her way up the steps of the Kent barn and stopped. Clark was standing in front of the window, looking out at the sky. She tilted her head and studied him thoughtfully. What was it about him that she felt so attracted to? It wasn't just his looks, there was something inside him that seemed like it was calling out to her. She cleared her throat softly to get his attention and she got a warm feeling inside her chest when he turned around to face her.

"Hey Lois, what are you doing here?" He asked, clearly she had interrupted his thinking time. She paused for a moment, unsure as to why she had come here in the first place. But she knew she had to say something so she walked up the last few steps with a smile.

"You know, if you're worried about the editor taking away the story, buck up. It's not your fault. Metropolis PD says that, as far as they know, our big-haired bimbo has vanished off the face off the earth."

"I'm afraid this may not be the last we've seen of her." He replied.

"Hmm, well I'll be ready for her. The late-night game of bumper cars might have knocked the wind out of me, but one supercharged fembot can't put a serious dent in Lois lane."

Clark chuckled but his smile faded as he looked at her. "I'm sorry she hurt you Lois."

Lois felt herself freeze as he reached out and touched the small cut on her forehead, just under her hairline. His fingers felt so warm against her skin. She stood in silence for a moment as she looked into his deep blue eyes, how had she never noticed how blue they really were? She was starting to realise that there was a lot about Clark Kent that she had never realised before.

"You know she said some weird things to me." He muttered, dropping his hand back down to his side. With the moment broken, Lois was now able to think a little more clearly, which meant that she was worried as to how much Clark had heard.

"Really?" She asked nervously.

"She said she was my soul mate." He replied, but he looked as if he wanted to say more.

"I think you can do a little bit better than a man eating meteor freak." Clark chuckled again. It was a sound that Lois was beginning to like a lot.

"I know she's not the one. But it got me to thinking, what if my soul mate comes along and I'm too blind to see it?"

Lois didn't know why, but those words stung. It was a stupid reaction she knew, but she couldn't help but feel sad that he would never see her in that way. She would always be the annoying, self-opinionated, brash woman that he had come to know.

"I don't know Smallville, I think…that when the right girl walks into your life…you'll know."

He nodded and seemed satisfied with that answer. "What did Maxima say to you?"

"Nothing for the front page." She replied with a smile but if felt tight on her face. Maybe coming here to see him wasn't such a good idea.

"Well I gotta go." She said abruptly, turning to head back down the stairs. "I'm meeting with the realtor, finding my own place. Those lovebirds are so sweet, my teeth will rot if I don't move out."

"Hey Lois, you were right. This house is pretty big. If you want your old room back, it's yours."

Lois sighed inwardly. Didn't he have any idea just how cute he was right now? Secretly, she would love to move in at the farm again, but she didn't honestly think her nerves would be able to stand seeing Clark in such close proximity every day as well as working with him.

"Being housemates didn't work out for us the first time Smallville. Why tempt fate?" She smiled, threw him a wink and headed down the stairs.

Clark smiled to himself, feeling partly relieved that Lois hadn't taken his offer. But he couldn't help wondering about what Maxima had said. He thought about his relationship with Lois, and while he wouldn't want that to change, he found himself wondering if maybe, just maybe, he could have feelings other than friendship for her.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

Lois drained the last of her champagne and placed her glass back down on the bar. A passing waitress collected it as Lois looked out at the brightly blue decorated Talon for Jimmy and Chloe's engagement party.

"Another glass of bubbly." She asked just as a familiar scent drifted over to her. She glanced to her left, where Clark had appeared, leaning against the bar with one hand in his pocket, looking every inch a man and not the teenager she had been so used to, in his suit.

She could resist it. "And throw in a Shirley Temple for the lady." She drawled as she smirked at him. He gave her a brief, irritated smile and looked at the glass the waitress had just placed in front of her.

"Lois don't you think you might wanna pace yourself?" He asked. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Believe me Smallville, I am a lot more obnoxious sober." She replied, knowing that it was true but also, the alcohol was helping to numb the ever growing feelings she was having towards him. He had no right to look that good. It simply wasn't fair. He was Smallville, a nerdy, dorky farm boy.

"And the last thing anyone wants, is me making a scene at this blessed event." She looked over at her cousin, who was smiling as she and Jimmy handed out pieces of their cake to their guests. She let out a sigh.

"Chloe is barely legal, and she is getting herself hitched to the first guy who's shown her any attention. Present company excepted." Clark looked as if he were about to say something to that remark but thought better of it. He glanced around as she continued.

"I have suffered enough heartache to know real love when I see it." His eyes shot back to hers and there was a brief moment where she thought that he could see right into her heart. But that was probably just the champagne.

"And uh…looking at those two, I don't know. I don't see it." They did look happy, she realised, but was Jimmy really the 'one' for her cousin? How could Chloe be so sure about that?

"Are you sure you're not just jealous that your little cousin's beating you to the alter?" Clark asked, tilting his head as he raised his eyebrows, unaware that he had hit a nerve.

"This isn't a competition." She scowled.

"Then why are you keeping score?" He asked and Lois found that she had no answer to that. Was she jealous? At this point she didn't really know. All she knew was that having Clark standing so close to her and wanting so badly to just kiss him, she had to do something and quick.

"Listen Lois, it may not kill you to just, show a little support." Seeing her way out, Lois smiled.

"You want support? I'll show you support." She grabbed hold of his shoulder, which hadn't been an entirely brilliant idea, she reflected, as she felt the muscles tensing underneath his jacket and stood on a stool. She shook her head and grabbed a glass of champagne off a passing tray and clinked a fork against it, drawing everyone's attention onto her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Lois Lane. Most of you know me as Chloe's cousin, A.K.A., the maid of honour." She took a little bow to hide the fact that she was well aware that her speech was starting to slur.

"When Chloe and I were little girls, we made a promise. Neither of us would get married until we found our soul mates. The one person in the whole wide world that we were destined to be with." Lois paused as she looked over at Clark, who was smiling. She looked deep into his eyes and lost her train of thought for a second. The spell was broken as he looked away and she felt unnerved and said the first thing that popped into her head.

"Which is why you can't take a ten year old on their word."

As soon as she heard the little gasps, saw her cousin's smile immediately fall, Lois could've kicked herself. Why did she say that? She didn't have time to think about it too long, or to say anything else before a pair of very strong, very male arms, wrapped around her waist and dragged her off the stool. He released her quickly, causing her to almost lose her balance, and went into a speech about how he knew that Chloe and Jimmy were meant for each other.

Lois didn't hear exactly what he'd said, she was too busy trying to stop the room from spinning. But when she heard everyone's applause, she figured that Clark Kent had once again saved the day. He always knew the right thing to say, while she lived with one foot constantly lodged in her mouth. She turned back to the bar and ordered yet another drink.

Before she knew it, the night had somehow passed her by and she found herself sitting on the steps outside the Talon, getting some much needed fresh air.

"There you are." His voice drawled behind her. "I've been looking all over for you." A big grin crept up her face as she turned to see him staring at her.

"Smallville. Missing me already?" She cooed. "Come…sit with me." She patted the step beside her and was pleasantly surprised when he took a seat. She leaned in close, inhaling the scent of his aftershave.

"You smell good. What is that?"

He took a whiff of his shirt. "What my aftershave? Just the usual." He shrugged.

"Well I like it. You should wear it all the time."

He chuckled, Lois was going to regret getting this drunk in the morning. "I'll do that." His expression turned serious for a moment as he looked at her. "Lois are you okay? You haven't exactly been acting like yourself lately and I know you wouldn't want to upset Chloe intentionally…"

"Of course I wouldn't!" She huffed, looking offended that he'd even say such a thing. "She's my baby cousin Smallville. I love her to pieces."

"I know you do Lois but…" He trailed off, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her in this state.

"The only thing that's wrong with me is my glass seems to have lost its contents." She said, tipping it upside down for emphasis.

"Maybe that's because you drank it all." He offered, earning him a glare. "Don't you think you've had enough champagne for one evening?"

"I'll tell you when I've had enough Smallville and trust me I haven't even…" As she spoke, she stood up and turned to make her way back inside but her foot caught the step and she went sprawling forward. He caught her just before she hit the concrete and looked down into her eyes, which were beginning to droop.

"Okay, that's it, I'm taking you home." He said decisively, placing her upright but keeping a tight grip on her arm. She smiled sweetly at him, it was a little unnerving to see her acting so…nice.

"All you had to do was ask Smallville." She purred then laughed as she headed back inside, leaving Clark standing there with a dumbfounded look.

The drive home had been…entertaining to say the least, Clark thought as he unlocked the door to the Kent farmhouse. He led Lois inside, chuckling to himself as she went about taking her shoes off and stumbling her way around the kitchen.

She had sung almost every line of four Whitesnake songs on the way home and had alternated between being very annoyed at him, and being very happy with him.

"Hey Smallville, got any of your mom's pie handy? I could really go for some of that right now."

"No sorry, she lives in Washington remember?" He said, shrugging out of his jacket.

"Oh yeah." She looked a little perplexed. "Well doesn't she still send you packages?"

"Lois I'm not a child. I can look after myself." He said defensively, she didn't need to know that he occasionally popped over to see Martha, and brought back some pie with him.

"Whatever." She quipped and Clark inwardly groaned as she began singing again.

_Great, yet another Whitesnake classic_.

He was beginning to feel that bringing her back to the farm hadn't been such a good idea. But what else could he do? Chloe and Jimmy deserved a little peace and quiet and she obviously couldn't be left alone. She could barely stand up on her own. He just didn't get how drinking until you were in this sort of state was appealing. Though he realised, that if he was able to get drunk, he probably would've by now.

He tuned out her singing, and tried to focus on something else. However, he couldn't stop himself from watching as she began swaying her hips to the beat in her head. His eyes felt like they were glued to her backside, and no amount of trying would help him pull them away. This was wrong. This was Lois, he shouldn't be standing here watching her.

But her burgundy dress clung to all the right places and he was powerless to look away. He'd seen her in a dress before, what was wrong with him? He gave himself a mental slap and headed for the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lois demanded, one hand on her hip as she eyed him.

"I'm just going to get some blankets for you…"

"Well hurry back. I can't promise there'll be any left if you don't." She moved to the side and he saw the sandwiches she'd been making. Well, if they could be called sandwiches. They looked more like two pieces of bread slapped together haphazardly with a little peanut butter and jelly dripping out the sides. And there was enough there to feed him for a week. How on earth had she made that many in such a short space of time? How long had he been watching her?

"Hey, you don't have to eat them." She said, her tone frosty as she took in his grimace. "I'm sure that Shelby will love them." She looked around. "Where is he anyway?"

"I don't know, probably upstairs asleep." Clark replied.

"Hmm. So do you want a sandwich or not?" She asked, her speech still slightly slurred.

"You know what, that's okay Lois. You eat them. I'll be right back." He shot off upstairs as fast as he could before she could say anything else.

He grabbed a blanket, a pillow and then thought that maybe she would need something a little more comfortable to sleep in so he grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be his old football jersey, and headed back downstairs where he could still hear her singing. What was it about Whitesnake? Personally, he didn't see the allure of an eighties rock band that had long since passed their prime.

"Hey Lois, I thought you might want to wear something a little more…" He trailed off as he took in the sight before him. Lois was standing in the middle of the kitchen, sandwich in one hand, as the other was holding her dress up above her knees to allow her legs a little more freedom to move.

"Smallville!" She yelled, making him jump a little as he realised he'd been looking at her long legs.

He made his way down the last of the steps and over to her, holding his shirt out for her to take.

"I thought you might want something a little more comfortable to wear." She looked at the shirt he was holding, and then up at him.

"Aw Smallville, you're just the…" She sighed, taking the shirt from him and placing it on the counter behind her. When she turned back, he was slightly alarmed at the glint in her eyes.

"Dance with me Smallville."

He swallowed hard. "What?"

She grabbed hold of his arms and pulled them around her. "I said, dance with me, I love dancing with big, strong arms wrapped around me…"

They both froze at her words. Lois looked down at the close proximity of their bodies and gasped as she was hit with the most intense vision she had had yet. She was suddenly standing back in this very room, only she was wearing something completely different and so was Clark.

_"There's nothing I love more than…slow dancing with some…big strong arms around me. Just like yours Smallville." _

She could feel his hands on her back, as she linked her arms around his shoulders. She squeezed her eyes closed, but the images kept on playing in her head.

"Lois!" Clark shook her roughly, bringing her back to the present. "That's it Lois, I'm taking you to a doctor."

"What? Why do I need a doctor? I may be drunk but I'm not that drunk." She countered, pulling away so that she could make a beeline for the couch.

"Lois, you keep blacking out on me. It's not normal." She made it about halfway before she stumbled, actually falling to the ground this time.

"Son of a…" She cursed, but then she felt his arms again, encircling her waist, lifting her up to face him.

"Are you okay?" But she couldn't hear him. Her mind was busy elsewhere.

_"That's Oliver's balcony over there isn't it?"_

"What that little tiny speck under the clock tower?"

He climbed up onto the wall, making Lois very nervous. "Clark? This isn't funny, you can come back down now." He turned and gave her a smouldering look.

"Or you could come up here with me." He lifted her up into his arms, and pulled her against him. "I'd like to see Oliver do this."

And the next thing she knew, they were soaring through the air with nothing beneath them. Clark, her Smallville was flying. Or at the very least, jumping really, really far. They landed softly on Oliver's balcony and Clark whirled her around.

"What did you say about a dorky farm boy?"  
  
"Oh God!" She gasped, remembering very well, that Clark Kent was not who she thought he was.

"What is it Lois?" He asked urgently, grasping her shoulders.

"You. You're…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She sat down heavily on the sofa, placing her head in her hands to dispel the dizziness. She didn't know if it was from her vision or from the alcohol. She felt him sit down next to her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Lois, please, I'm getting really worried now…" She finally brought her head up to look over at him. He did look worried, but all she could see was them leaping through the night air, high above the city.

"It's okay, I'm…oh no…"

She couldn't finish what she had been about to say as she lurched forward and suddenly found herself throwing up into a bowl. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that it hadn't been there before, he must have grabbed it awfully quickly. Just how much did she really not know about this guy? As her sandwiches began to make a reappearance, she didn't have time to wonder about it.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six**_

Clark sat at the dining room table eating his breakfast and browsing through the morning's copy of the Daily Planet. The house was virtually silent, apart from the sounds occasionally drifting in from the living room, that told him Lois was still asleep.

After having what he could only describe as some sort of realisation where she'd stared at him like he'd grown an extra head, she had quickly brushed it off and spent most of the night laughing and dancing around the kitchen but for some reason, she seemed to be avoiding him. He was probably just imagining that part, she had been awfully drunk.

Her mood seemed to change so quickly. For a while, after she had zoned out on him again, he thought that maybe he should've taken her to a doctor, but she had claimed to be feeling much better after her sandwiches had made a comeback and so he'd left her alone for a little while to finish some chores out in the barn. But that hadn't eased the knot of concern in his gut. Something was off with her.

"Smallville!" Her voice rang out in the empty house and he smiled. She sounded…displeased. He got up and grabbed the glass of water and two tablets that he'd had waiting for when she awoke.

"Good afternoon Lois," He joked as he plopped the tablets into the water, handing her the glass as it started fizzing up. "I thought you might need one of these."

She took it from him and glanced around the room, spotting her dress lying on the back of a chair opposite her. She was struck with a terrible nagging thought. She knew what she was like when she was drunk, the truth usually had a way of coming out and she hoped that she hadn't said anything about her growing feelings towards him. She wouldn't be able to look at him again.

But she couldn't ignore what she was seeing, she had woken up in his shirt, her dress was way over the other side of the room…

"Please tell me we didn't…?"

He frowned, confused and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. He was so clueless sometimes. She nodded her head towards her dress and he suddenly caught on. His mouth opened as his eyebrows shot up.

"You're hysterical when you're hung over Lois." He said, walking over to the chair. He picked up her dress and tossed it onto the sofa next to her.

"Don't worry, you got changed all by yourself, in the middle of the kitchen for like an hour."

She took a sip of her water and groaned at the horrid taste, quickly placing it down on the coffee table in front of her. She grimaced as she looked at the clean bowls. "I take it I took a little drive on the porcelain highway?"

"It was more like a cross country trip." He replied, in a tone that told her he'd seen way too much. She groaned again as he crossed the room to open the curtains. Of all the things for him to see.

"You know I…" She stopped and brought a hand up to her head as the sunlight shot in through the window. She sighed and looked up at him.

"You didn't have to take care of me last night, I would've been perfectly fine on my own at the Talon."

"I don't think Chloe and Jimmy would've been up for the Whitesnake sing-a-long." He shoved both hands into his jeans pocket and stared at her as she smirked at him. She tried to remember what else she might have done last night. What else was she forgetting? Then her eyes grew wide as a thought hit her.

"Chloe!" She got up and started gathering her things. "I was supposed to meet her for a dress fitting this morning."

"Do you need a ride?"

She leaned against the kitchen counter and slipped her shoes back on, aware that she was still holding her dress in her hands and was still in Clark's shirt. "You may have held my hair, but I don't need you to hold my hand Smallville. This may shock you, but I can still drive a car."

He stepped closer to her and she caught a whiff of his aftershave. "Not if it's not here. This may shock you but you were in no condition to get behind the wheel last night Lois."

She huffed out a sigh, frustrated because he had managed to get one up on her and she hated that. Why did he have to keep looking at her like that? His eyes made her feel as if he were staring straight into her soul.

Finally, admitting defeat, she bowed her head a little and said. "Thanks for the ride."

Lois stood leaning over her desk later that morning, browsing through her search engine, still nursing a hangover but too worried to care. After Clark had taken her back to the Talon, they had discovered that Chloe and Jimmy hadn't returned home last night. Lois had called the police and headed straight to the Planet while Clark went to check out any other places he could think of.

For which she had been glad, she needed some space from him for a while. After hearing her drunken message that she had left for Chloe, during which she had stated that Clark was the sweetest boy she had ever known, she was still feeling more than a little embarrassed.

But she had no time to think about that now, she had to find Chloe and Jimmy. She had found several reports of couples going missing and she was getting more and more concerned that Chloe and Jimmy had been the next.

"Lois." She inwardly sighed as Clark's voice boomed out behind her. But as she turned to face him, all thoughts of this morning were washed away as she took in his serious expression.

"I checked the Metropolis and the Smallville hospitals, as well as the airport, no sign of Jimmy or Chloe."

"You covered a lot of ground." She muttered, secretly impressed. How did he manage to get all that done in the short space of time since he'd left her? There was that nagging feeling again, like she was forgetting something important. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't remember it.

"We need to find the right people to ask. Did you find anything?" He asked.

She turned back to her desk and grabbed a file. Handing it over to him, she said. "Chloe and Jimmy aren't the only couple that's gone missing, Clark. At least three couples in the last two weeks have vanished without a trace."

He flipped through the pages. "All engaged."

"Credit cards haven't been touched. Phone records show no sign of activity. The list goes on and on. So unless Oprah said eloping was in for fall…"

"They've all been abducted." Clark finished for her.

"I called the police, they won't even declare Chloe and Jimmy missing for twenty-four hours. You know, if I hadn't been too drunk to go home last night, I would've been there to stop it."

"Or you would've been missing too. The last thing I need is for you to disappear too."

Lois smirked. "Careful Smallville, you're drifting dangerously close to sounding like you care about me." She chuckled.

Clark smiled back but it faded as he said. "You know I care about you Lois. You're one of my best friends. Even though I know you won't admit it."

Lois was shocked. _Best friend?_ She didn't know how to reply to that, so she decided to get back to the rather pressing matter at hand.

"I cross referenced Jimmy and Chloe with the other two couples and they all visited the same places within the last ten days."

Clark scanned the new document she handed him. "A bakery, a jewellery store and a stationary shop." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "That stationary shop is right around the corner. I'm gonna check it out. I'll call if I find anything."

"Whoa wait up." She grabbed his arm as he headed away. "No way am I putting my cousin's life in the hands of a mild-mannered copyboy. Try to keep up." She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door in front of him before he could say anything else.

She didn't know how it had happened. But the moment Lois Lane had proposed marriage to Clark Kent, she knew that she had made a mistake. After checking out the stationary shop and not getting anywhere, she had an idea of pretending to be an engaged couple to draw out the kidnapper, but now, as she and Clark stood inside the jewellery store, she hadn't counted on how surreal it would be.

She looked down at their hands, which were still interlinked, and dropped his quickly. She had dragged him in here, now she was going to have to do something to ease the tension that was building between them.

"A smile every now and then wouldn't kill you." She muttered, as she smiled at the salesman heading towards them.

"They're in short supply Lois, wouldn't want to waste one." He replied sarcastically.

"May I help you?" The salesman asked, assessing them both with his eager eyes. Lois linked her arm through Clark's and smiled brightly.

"Well, we are finally out ring shopping. Who's the luckiest girl in the world? I am." She cooed and even the sound of her own voice made her cringe.

"Some friends of ours said that your store is the best place in town to find engagement rings." Clark said.

"Is there a certain piece you would like to see?"

"Well," Lois headed over to the cabinet in front of her and glanced down at the beautiful array of engagement rings on display. She couldn't help but think that if circumstances were different, she would be happy to be in a place like this with Clark.

_Whoa. Where did that come from_? She was just pretending to be engaged to him. There was nothing remotely romantic about this situation. It was strictly business…right?

Then why, as she looked in the display case at the gorgeous array of rings, did she feel giddy with excitement? She looked over at Clark, who was sending her a warning glance and she knew she had to get this show back on track.

"What about this one _pumpkin_?" She said sweetly, pointing to one ring in particular that she'd had her eye on.

"Anything you want _muffin_." He retorted.

He glared at her before turning to the salesman. "Must be great seeing so many happy couples come through here everyday."

As the salesman handed Clark the ring, Lois lost track of what he was saying until he told her to try it on. She held her hand out, unable to resist winding Clark up a little more.

She chuckled at his hesitation. "Don't get stage fright poodle, you're gonna have to do this in front of a packed house sooner than you think. He has performance anxiety." She told the jeweller, who chuckled.

Clark stared down at her with a smug grin as he pushed the ring down her finger, the force making her jump a little.

"Look at that, a perfect fit." The salesman said softly.

A bell sounded behind them, indicating the arrival of a new customer and as she turned around, she was shocked to see Oliver standing in the doorway. She glanced nervously from him to Clark, hoping that her cover wasn't about to be blown.

But before she could say anything, the scene in front of her started to fade, and was quickly replaced with another image but with a situation very similar to the one she was in now.

Two men standing before her, each staring at the other, trying to size each other up. They were in Oliver's apartment, just after the Green Arrow had made an impromptu appearance at Martha's fundraiser party. Clark had come by to…well she didn't know exactly why he had come by.

_"You know it's funny, the way Lois talks about you I figured you to be more of a…" Oliver said with a chuckle._

"Of a what?" Clark had replied. "Of a geek?" 

Lois saw herself shrug her shoulders, it was as if she were there but watching it all as if it were on a TV screen, allowing her to see exactly what she had missed the first time around.

"_Well you're not exactly jumping the velvet ropes at nightclubs."_

"It's really nice to see that Lois has found someone who can overlook her personality."  
Clark said, Oliver nodded and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Clark. If I lived under the same roof with such a beautiful woman, I probably would've masked my feelings in sarcasm, too."

"Feelings?"

"Feelings?"

She looked at Clark, he was dumbfounded by that statement and as she heard herself talking, she decided to tune it out and take a closer look at Clark. In the past, he had turned away from her to face Oliver so she hadn't seen his face but now that she was seeing it from this perspective, she could see a trace of something there in his expression.

He was studying Oliver, as if trying to measure him up. She heard herself saying something about 'marking territory' and clarifying that it wasn't her, but was too engrossed in watching Clark to listen. He looked uncomfortable, like Oliver had hit a nerve.

But before she could analyse his expression further, the scene changed again and she was back in the jewellery store with Clark standing by her side and Oliver looking very confused.

Clark raced to the Talon as fast as he could later that evening. He was worried. He had just received a strange call from Lois, that had ended abruptly and he knew something had happened to her. He knew that it had to be the same guy who had taken Chloe and Jimmy and he cursed himself for leaving her alone on this in the first place.

They had been getting nowhere with their little ruse of pretending to be a couple and Clark had to admit that it had been a little uncomfortable for him. Things with Lois were changing, he could feel it. But he didn't know what to do about it. He was finding it increasingly difficult to know where to draw the line with her. But now, she was missing too and if something happened to her he would never forgive himself.

He walked inside and marched straight over to Chloe and Jimmy who were talking to a police officer.

"Well I'm glad you two are okay."

"Clark, what is it?" Chloe asked as she and Jimmy turned to face him.

"It's Lois I can't find her anywhere. She left me a voice mail, and then she never made it back to The Planet. She was saying something about car headlights."

Jimmy spoke up first. "Headlights? Wait that's what he used when he took us."

"Why would he want Lois?" Chloe asked, confused.

"It's a long story Chloe but if there's anything you can remember that might help me find her…"

"He was talking about our bond, about how important it is to solidify the bond between husband and wife."

Clark frowned as he tried to remember where he'd heard that before. And then it hit him. "I know who has Lois." 


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

Lois came to, finding herself shackled to a chair in a darkly lit room. She shook her head, feeling dizzy and a little sick, the tranquiliser still only just wearing off.

"Where am I?" She wondered aloud.

"Ah, nice to see you've decided to join me Miss Lane." A voice came from the other side of the room. A man's voice but not one she recognised.

"Who are you?_ Where_ are you?" She struggled against her restraints, looking down at them with dread. They were solid. She was never getting out of here. No one knew she was here, Chloe was probably already dead, Jimmy too.

Clark was…_Clark_! He'd get her out of this. He had to. Even though she hated admitting it, he always had a knack of showing up just in the nick of time. Lois considered herself perfectly able to get herself out of any situation, after all, the General had trained her well.

But sometimes, she tended to get into things that were a little over her head. And if she was honest with herself, it felt good to know that Clark was there for her.

"I'm right here." He said and walked into her line of sight. He was dressed head to toe in black, his face covered by a mask.

"Where's my cousin?" She demanded. "I know you took her."

"Who was your cousin?" He asked and Lois felt the dread seep into her gut.

"Was?"

He shrugged. "Well, I can't be certain so a name would be helpful."

"Chloe Sullivan and her fiancé Jimmy Olsen." She growled.

"Ah, yes. I remember." He said, but offered no more information.

"Are they dead? Tell me right now!" She yelled.

"All in good time Miss Lane. We'll begin shortly." He walked back over to the other side of the room, and started fiddling around with something Lois couldn't see.

"Begin? Begin what?" She tried to pull her wrists free of the restraints but failed, only causing pain to her arms. She looked around again wildly, looking for an escape route but seeing none.

She thought of Clark, what was he doing right now? Was he out looking for her? She hoped he wouldn't be dragged into this mess. It had been her idea to pretend they were a couple and she didn't want him to get hurt because of that. But a part of her was wishing that he would come anyway.

Her head lolled back against the chair as she closed her eyes, her mind picturing the adorable look he'd had on his face when he had been taking care of her that morning. She didn't know whether it was the current circumstances or something else, but all of a sudden, the blinders had been lifted and she now saw with perfectly clarity, how she truly felt about Clark Kent.

He ran as fast as he could, back to Metropolis, back to the place they had visited earlier. He had known that their 'engagement' would ultimately end this way, nothing good could come of dangling yourself out in front of a killer but Lois had been so persistent, she was doing anything she could to find her cousin and Clark admired her for that.

She never failed to amaze him when it came to loyalty. She was fiercely protective of Chloe, and sometimes even of Clark himself. True, she often threw herself into things without really thinking of the consequences, but her heart was always in the right place. She'd had to take on the role of protector at an early age instead of being allowed to enjoy her childhood, and the rare glimpses he'd gotten into Lois' mind had left him feeling like he wanted to protect her for a change.

But now she had been taken, possibly hurt, by the man who had held Jimmy and Chloe captive. A million feelings rushed through Clark as he came to a halt outside the jewellery store he and Lois had been in earlier that day. He was scared, afraid that he wouldn't get to her in time.

But the one thing that kept standing out in his mind was the fact that he had left her alone, wandering the city when someone dangerous was out there. Chloe and Jimmy may have been released, but that didn't mean that Lois would be so lucky. He knew that she could take care of herself, but there were some things that even Lois Lane couldn't handle. He drew in a sharp breath and tuned his super hearing in, eventually hearing her voice.

"Tell me right now. What'd you do with my cousin?" It was weak, she sounded tired, emotional. He had to get to her…and fast.

"Where is she?" The words had barely left her mouth as Clark burst through the doors, debris flying everywhere. He paused at the top of the stairs, looking around.

"Lois!" Spotting her sitting in a chair down below, he rushed down to her. "Lois…" He struggled with the metal restraints on her wrists.

"Clark," She said, and Clark made a quick sweeping assessment of her. She'd been drugged but there were no obvious signs of injury. "Clark, you gotta find Chloe and Jimmy."

"He let them go. Listen I'm gonna get you out of here but you need to tell me…where is he?" Clark stumbled on his words as he felt that all too familiar pain hit his gut, sending his blood boiling. _Kryptonite!  
_  
"Right behind you." He heard a man say, he turned to look but was quickly introduced to the business end of a rather heavy wrench. He fell to the floor, the pain from both the green kryptonite and the blow to his head, was too much.

"Clark!" Lois' voice was stricken with panic but he couldn't fight the darkness swooping up to pull him down.

Lois kept her eye on him the whole time he was unconscious. The man had strapped him to a chair identical to the one she was in, and left him while he went back to doing whatever it was he was doing. _Probably sharpening his weapons_, Lois thought.

"Clark!" She whispered harshly. He'd been out for a while and it was starting to freak her out. She'd never seen him so…weak before. He always seemed so strong, so resilient, that it was a bit of a shock to see him like this.

"Clark, wake up!" Slowly, he started coming round and she breathed a sigh of relief as his heavy eyes looked up into hers. He had a pretty nasty gash on his forehead and he looked as if he were about to throw up. But otherwise, he seemed okay. She cursed herself for getting them into this. When was she going to learn?

Clark took a look around the room, his eyes slowly landing on their captor.

"I know who you are." He shouted. Lois turned her head, watching as the man took his mask off and turned to face them.

"Then I suppose I won't be needing this." He dropped it to the floor. "Now that we're all acquainted. Let's begin."

Lois recognised him. The man from the jewellery store. "What's the point? Now that we've seen your face, you're gonna kill us anyway."

He turned back to his machine and started cranking something. Lois heard the electricity zapping and felt her stomach drop. He was going to kill them both and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"Don't be so certain." He replied. "You must really care about her…storming in here like that. Very gallant of you." Lois' eyes flew to Clark, he glanced at her, the pain etched into every line of his face, and then back at the man.

"Yeah he's stupid that way."

"Let her go."

"After her turn you'll get yours." The man dragged the machine and a chair around to where they were sitting and took a seat.

"My turn? What is this some kind of game?"

"No. No, it's a test, to reveal how much you two have been hiding from one another." Lois looked at Clark, she was now officially worried. She didn't want the truth to come out. Not here, not like this. "If you pass, you'll want to invite me to your wedding. If you fail... well, the guest list will be the least of your worries. Ladies first." Lois heard a click, and the sound of the machine powering up.

"Have you ever cheated on your fiancé?" Faced with the fact that she was now hooked up to a lie detector, Lois was suddenly very afraid. How on earth was she supposed to tell the truth about something when she knew that they weren't really a couple in the first place? She swallowed hard.

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous." She replied, her voice as unsteady as her nerves. And then…it all happened so fast. The man pressed a button, and suddenly, Clark was screaming as the electricity coursed through him.

"What are you doing? You're killing him!" She yelled. Abruptly, the man cut it off and stared at her.

"No! Your lies are."

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. I take it back then, just…don't hurt him again." Tears burned her eyes, clouding her vision. She looked at Clark, hoping that he was okay. He was breathing heavily, watching as the man cranked the machine up again.

"Killing us…" He said, weakly. "It won't take away the pain that pushed you here."

"I'm doing this for you."

"What?" Lois asked, confused. Why was he doing this to them?

"The broken hearted are the walking dead. Either way, I'm saving you both a lot of unnecessary pain."

"Okay crazy, here's the deal. We're not even really a couple…" She was shaking, but forced herself to get the words out. She didn't see Clark shake his head at her, warning her not to anger this man.

"So this twisted test, doesn't mean anything." Her voice broke as she spoke.

The man ignored her, and turned back with the device in his hand. "Deep down underneath it all. Do you love this man?" Panic set in, she looked at Clark who seemed to beginning to fade again.

He was still trying to catch his breath but he looked into her eyes as he spoke. "Tell the truth Lois. Don't out think it. Just tell the truth."

"Do you love him?" The man asked again. She closed her eyes, but the image of Clark was as fresh in her mind as it was in front of her eyes.

"Tell the truth." She couldn't say it. She didn't want him to know. But this whole situation had made one thing very clear to her. The feelings she'd been having, the visions that kept plaguing her, it all boiled down to one thing.

The man then moved forward, leaning over her. "Do…you…love…him?"

She looked away, unable to look at Clark as she let out a little sob. "Yes."

Clark shifted, expecting a blast to hit him, but nothing came. Nothing but silence. That meant…? Lois was telling the truth? No, that wasn't possible. But as he looked up at her, she refused to meet his gaze. Her silence was deafening. And he had no idea what to think. He wasn't given much time to ponder it however, as the man spoke up.

"And you?" He turned to Clark, and Clark froze. He was going to ask him the same thing. How could he answer without getting Lois killed? If he said yes, she would get electrocuted. If he said no, the man would kill them anyway because they didn't belong together. With the Kryptonite watch around his wrist, Clark was pretty much powerless to do anything at this point, but he couldn't give up.

"Do you love this woman?" He asked. Lois raised her head, her eyes unwillingly looking at him, expecting his answer. But this was Lois Lane. He didn't love her. He liked her, he knew something was changing in their relationship, it wasn't the same as it used to be. But he didn't love her.

"Answer the question. Do you love her?"

With a deep breath, Clark fixed the man with a cold stare, hating him for putting him in this position. But he had to answer, it was the only way they stood a chance of getting out of here.

"No." Clark couldn't be sure what with the Kryptonite making him weak, but he thought, just for a split second, he saw a look of such disappointment on her face before she closed her eyes and turned her head away.

And then he heard her scream. Thousands of volts shooting through her body as the lie detector needles scratched erratically on the paper.

"Stop! You're gonna kill her, STOP IT!" He yelled, rage filling him. As it stopped, Lois sank back in her chair, her eyes glazing over as she rolled her head around.

"Lois? Lois are you okay?" Silence. "LOIS! Answer me!"

"She'll be fine. Now, next question."

"I'm not answering anymore questions." Clark said fiercely.

He wasn't sure what had him rattled the most, the sight of seeing Lois unresponsive or the fact that he'd given what he'd thought was the true answer and yet, the lie detector hadn't thought so. It had to be faulty. Yeah, that was it. Lois wasn't in love with him and he was definitely not in love with her.

"Have you ever cheated on her?" He asked. Clark ignored him, focusing on Lois as she began to regain enough strength to lift her head. The man walked forward and leaned over his chair, placing his hands on the arm rests.

A fresh wave of pain hit Clark as the green k watch was brought closer, but he forced it down and then, with all the strength he could muster, shot his head forward, smashing his forehead into the guy's nose. He broke the watch off his wrist and tossed it down a nearby drain. As soon as it was gone, he felt his strength start to return.

Lois wasn't sure what had just happened, all she knew was she had never before felt such intense pain. It had taken her a few minutes to even be able to lift her own head. She looked around, wondering why steam had suddenly filled the room, and then she heard sounds of a struggle coming from her left.

"Lois." Her head snapped forward. He was standing right in front of her. Towering over her.

"Clark?" How had he…? What had happened?

She squinted her eyes, trying to see him better but all she got was a flash of white, blinding her for a second and then, she was in a different room. It looked like a lab of some kind. Chloe was lying in the centre, strapped down to a table, Sheriff Adams was standing next to her and Clark was…_Oh my God._

Clark was standing over Chloe, holding up two giant steel pillars that had been about to fall on her. They had to weigh at least a tonne. How was he holding them up? She gasped as she watched him push them aside as if they weighed nothing. And then she heard her own voice. "Guess I shouldn't call you Smallville anymore."

"LOIS!" His anxious voice brought her back to their current predicament and she blinked rapidly. Her head felt like a sponge. He was kneeling in front of her. She noticed that the cuts on his face had disappeared.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm uh…I'm not sure." She said truthfully, aware of what had gone on here. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, afraid that, now he knew the truth, she would have to face it.

"Let's get you out of here." He said softly.

She rushed past the bullpen, sneaking a look inside to see that Clark was nowhere in sight. She shuffled over to the elevator and pressed the button, letting out a sigh of relief that she was home free.

"You're not avoiding me are you?"_ Damn, so close_. She looked over her shoulder as he walked up to her, hands in his pockets, looking very handsome.

"Why would I be avoiding you? I was just out shopping for wedding gifts for Jimmy and Chloe."

"Oh, so you're finally on board with the happy couple?" He asked and she was grateful for the change of subject. She had spent the best part of last night, lying awake, thoughts of Clark running through her mind. Why hadn't he told her about his…abilities?

She didn't want to think about the incident with the lie detector so had grabbed onto the one thing that refused to leave her alone. Did he not trust her? What could be so bad about telling her? She thought they were friends.

It sure explained a heck of a lot, she had to admit. The sudden exits, the lame excuses he always came up with. The fact that he was always there, saving her. But more than that, she could see that even in his work clothes, Clark harnessed raw power. Those muscles were…and he was built so… _Okay Lois, stop. This isn't getting you anywhere_.

She didn't want to believe it, that Clark was different. But how else could she explain the vision? It was real. She knew that he had to be meteor infected, but all the infected people she'd ever come across were either crazy, or just cold enough to use their power for bad. But Clark was different, he was so…good. He'd never hurt anyone. So what was his story?

The elevator pinged and the doors opened. Lois moved to step inside but stopped as Clark moved ahead of her, holding the doors open for her with a smile that lit her up inside.

"In or out?" He asked.

"You know all things considered, stairs are better for cardio." She said, suddenly afraid to be confined in such a small space with him.

"Come on, statistically this is the safer way to travel."

Begrudgingly, she stepped inside. The silence was almost suffocating as they both stood there, looking anywhere but at each other.

"Clark…"  
"Lois…" They both spoke at the same time. Clark smiled. "Sorry, go ahead."

"Since I'm not very good at ignoring the huge elephant in the corner, I think we need to talk."

"Talk?" He asked, his expression puzzled but she knew that he knew what she meant.

"About that test." She fell silent, uncomfortable and unsure of exactly how to proceed.

"Who would've thought that you were such a good liar, huh?" He said, clearly giving her an out. But the question was…did she want to take it? Could she go back to pretending she felt nothing for him? She didn't know.

"Well even though I'm a natural master of deception, I needed a little help. That machine was a piece of Kaiser-era junk."

He chuckled. "Well it did work the first time, you know, when you electrocuted me."

"Exactly. So while he was off playing game show host…" She said, thinking quickly and knowing that it was going to sound so false. "I slipped the sensor off my finger." She cringed at herself but she just wasn't ready to talk to him about the truth of what had happened. "Pretty crafty huh?"

Clark frowned. "So you weren't telling the truth?"

"Were you?" She countered, remembering that he'd been asked the same question and had said no. But she had still been electrocuted. Now, what in the heck did that mean? Was he lying? Did he in fact, love her? Nah, that was the most stupid thought she could've had. Clark Kent would never be interested in her, let alone be in love with her.  
_Get real Lois._

"I…" He paused, looking a little flustered.

"Relax Smallville." She said, punching him in the arm. "We do make a good team, but don't let our cover go to that big old head of yours."

He scoffed. "I didn't."

"Good." She replied, nonchalantly.

"Great."

The doors opened and Lois walked out, leaving him alone with his thoughts. She hadn't been telling the truth. She didn't love him after all. He'd spent most of last night, unable to sleep, thinking of everything that had been said. But she hadn't meant it and he didn't actually know whether to feel relieved or not.

He knew that it was probably a good thing, Lois and Clark just didn't sound right together. After all their years of being friends, it was impossible to be in love with her without knowing it. Right? Even on some subconscious level, he would surely know about it by now, working so closely with her. But then, why did the lie detector go off?

He looked up, watching her walk away from him, and as the doors closed, he thought.

_Could I really be in love with Lois Lane?_

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight**_

Clark huffed out a sigh as he listened to the police scanner, searching for any news that would require his help. But it was relatively quiet in the big city tonight. He wondered why. He had finally come to terms with the fact that the city needed his help, that hopefully, under the cloak of darkness he could actually do some good with his abilities. But after events last week spiralled out of control and almost being caught, he knew he had to be more cautious.

He straightened himself up and began typing away, trying to focus his mind on his article and not on the fact that he was meeting Lois and Jimmy for dinner in an hour. Jimmy he could handle, Lois, not so much. His eyes drifted over to her desk of their own accord, she had been gone for over a week. Assignments, she'd said. But it felt an awful lot like she was avoiding him.

He was still confused about his feelings. Did he even have feelings for her? He had thought he'd been telling the truth when he'd answered the jeweller's question. There was no way he could possibly be in love with Lois Lane. But she'd been shocked anyway, the lie detector had thought he was lying.

So what did that mean? He'd had a lot of time over the past two weeks to think about things, and he'd only managed to come to one conclusion. He liked Lois Lane. She was a challenge, she was unpredictable, he never knew what she was going to do or say next. And he honestly liked that about her. And if he was being honest with himself, her being gone for over a week had been a little weird for him. He'd become accustomed to having her around. Not hearing her voice snarking at him made him realise that he had really missed her.

He smiled as he thought of her, wondering what she was doing now. His head snapped up as he heard the sound someone being mugged. It took him a few seconds to realise that the voice yelling was Lois.

"_Jimmy, get a picture of his face_!"

Clark stood up and raced out of the bullpen, coming to a stop three blocks away, just in time to see Lois about to become road kill. His keen eyes made a quick assessment of the situation, there was a man standing on the sidewalk, his arms held out after having just pushed Lois into the road. There was Jimmy lying on the floor with a cut to his forehead and his camera in his hands, and Lois, falling…straight into the path of an oncoming car.

He sprung into action, first pushing the guy back into the wall, and then moving around to catch Lois. He paused for a second as the flash from Jimmy's camera began to slowly fill the scene, but he couldn't think about that now. He grabbed Lois and very carefully placed her on the sidewalk across the street and then took off. He stopped just around the corner. The man was lying in an unconscious heap on the floor, Lois was staring, dumbfounded, and Jimmy…Jimmy was looking at his camera in disbelief. Clark's gut clenched. Had he seen him?

Lois was sitting at her desk at the Daily Planet early the next morning going through the internet on her computer. After yet another sleepless night and being hounded by old memories of her and Clark, she decided that she needed to find that hypnotist and somehow get her life back. That however, was proving to be a difficult task. She had no idea where to start looking for the carnival's next visit.

She had a banging headache from the lack of sleep and to top it all off, she just couldn't get Clark off her mind. She knew she had been quiet last night at dinner, and he had noticed that. But she hadn't been able to look at him. She had played off the whole lie detector thing but was still finding it hard to deal with the fact that she had been made to confess her true feelings against her will. She felt exposed and Lois didn't like feeling exposed.

And then there was the whole super powered thing, she knew there had to be a good reason why he had never told her about being a meteor infected person, she just couldn't figure out what it was. There was no way she was going to confront him about it. Even though every cell in her body was screaming for her to do so.

She was also confused about last night. Something had happened to her, had she been saved as Jimmy claimed? If so, had it been Clark that saved her? She had so many questions buzzing around her head it was beginning to get a little crowded and the constant visions she kept getting were only making it worse. She needed to find that hypnotist and fast. She wanted whatever she had done to her, reversed. Getting glimpses of memories of just her and Clark was making it increasingly difficult to ignore her feelings for the guy.

"There she is, the legendary Lois Lane." She looked up in annoyance at the voice, to see a man with curly black hair smiling down at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know you from somewhere don't I?" She asked, recognising his face but unable to place it.

"I think I'd remember a face like yours." He replied.

"You knew my name." She pointed out, but felt stupid when his eyes flicked to her name plate on her desk.

He extended his hand out towards her. "Sebastian Kane, new city reporter."

Oh that's how she knew him. She had stolen a flash drive from Tess a few months ago to find her cousin after she had been arrested by the DDS. Finding out Chloe was being held in a facility that only housed meteor freaks was confusing in itself, but Chloe had told her that she was being held there to be used as some kind of government spy.

Lois hadn't really bought it, but Chloe obviously didn't want her to know, so she hadn't pushed. The guy in front of her was dangerous, that much she knew. But she was also intrigued. Maybe if she played this just right, she could find out what he knew, maybe even get a front page story out of it.

She stood up and smiled, but busied herself by changing the page on her screen, so that she didn't have to take his hand. Something inside, warned her not to let him touch her.

"Well if you like covering robbery and homicide, you've come to the right place."

"Really, Metropolis seems like a safe haven compared to some of the places I've been."

_I'll bet_. Lois thought. "Really, like where, the gates of hell?" She quipped.

"Iraq, Northern Mosul. I was an embedded journalist when the first troops went in."

Lois' face softened. "You must've seen some pretty graphic imagery." She said, feeling a little sorry for the guy. The things he must've seen were no doubt horrific.

"A little more than I bargained for." He agreed.

"Well I've been pretty much embedded since birth. I'm an army brat. No actual combat. But if you'd met my dad you'd be surprised that I made it out alive." She walked around her desk, placing some files on the one behind hers, trying to keep a safe distance from this guy. She didn't trust him. And if what she remembered was true, she didn't want him anywhere near her mind.

"Then you know what it feels like to be the new kid. This is my first time in Metropolis, I haven't quite gotten my bearings."

Lois studied him thoughtfully, she really wanted to find out what made this guy tick. Get an insight into where he had been held. And she couldn't deny that the chance to forget about Clark for a few hours was definitely enticing. "You know what you need? Lois Lane's guide to surviving the big city. I know all the tips and tricks."

"Well, how about I take you out to dinner tonight, you can share some of those secrets." He smiled at her again, and she wondered if, under different circumstances, she would've found him attractive.

"Let me check my calendar." She said, walking by him to grab it off her desk. "Well it's pretty chock full but, I may just have an opening for tonight."

Clark was freaking out. Jimmy now had photographic evidence of his existence. Okay so it was a blur but still, the red and blue were obvious and he had to find a way of getting rid of that photo before it ever made it to print. He knew Jimmy had been to Tess, she was prepared to run it as a front page story, he couldn't let that happen.

He had flatly refused to write it, but the last thing he needed was for her to end up giving the story to someone like Lois. She wouldn't stop until she had all the answers. He ran all the way to Smallville and into the apartment above the Talon. He headed straight for the cabinet that held Jimmy's belongings. Feeling a little guilty for going through them, Clark tried to make his search as quick as possible. He didn't see her appear behind him.

"Smallville? What are you doing here?" He stood up and turned around, startled to find Lois standing in front of him. He hadn't been prepared for her being there, much less looking like…His eyes made a sweeping assessment of her, she looked amazing. Her red dress was captivating. He always knew she was beautiful but had she always been this sexy? He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and tried to think of something to say.

"Lois, I didn't realise you were here. I was just…"

"Rifling through Jimmy's things?" She finished for him.

"No." Clark looked around, spotting something on the floor. "He left his bag here, I was in the neighbourhood, so I thought I'd do him a favour and pick it up for him."

"What, so now you're Jimmy's errand boy?" She smirked.

Irritated he replied. "I'm his friend. Anything wrong with that?" He moved to step past her, pulling the strap of the bag over his shoulder.

"Nothing. But ooh, could you do me a favour? Zip." She turned away from him, and his mouth went dry at the image. Lois' entire back was exposed, complete with a black lacy bra. He stood staring for a few seconds, his feet frozen to the floor. Briefly, he wondered what her skin would feel like. Would it be as soft as it looked?

Then he mentally slapped himself for having those kinds of thoughts about Lois. She was his friend, not an object to be ogled. But his eyes didn't seem to be listening to his brain, as they continued to assess her, moving lower, wondering what was underneath the rest of that dress. He took a tentative step forward, reaching out at arm's length to zip her dress up.

But the clasp was so small he ended up having to move his head down closer just to see it. The scent of her perfume hit him hard and he found himself leaning in a little closer, inhaling the gorgeous smell of her hair. His hand stopped briefly just as he finished zipping her up, his fingers grazing the soft skin of her back. The soft sigh he thought he heard from her, forced him back to reality.

Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat. "Where you going all dressed up?" She turned around, a smile lighting up her face.

"Little thing called a date. I know you're fresh off the farm, but sometimes, when a guy likes a girl, he asks her out." She placed her hand on his chest as she spoke, sending a jolt of electricity straight into his heart. That had never been there before, or had it? He'd hugged her before, and never felt anything like that.

She walked over to her dresser and picked out some jewellery, Clark smoothed his tie down, touching the place where her hand had rested. He could feel the warmth from her palm. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"I know what a date is. So who's the unlucky guy?" He asked, still annoyed at his body's reaction to her. Obviously his body already knew what his mind refused to accept.

"New reporter started work at the Planet today. Unlike a lot of new hires, he's actually a serious journalist." Clark chose to ignore the barb at him and concentrate on the other thing she had said.

"You just met him, today?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I know, the sparks were flying everywhere, I'm surprised the bullpen didn't burn right down."

Clark couldn't ignore the sudden spark of jealousy that appeared. He didn't want Lois to date someone she only just met. It wasn't safe for her. This guy could be anyone. But Clark also couldn't ignore the fact that his head was telling him that he didn't want Lois to date at all. _Maybe I do have feelings for her_, he thought.

Wow, who would ever have thought that he, Clark Kent, could have feelings for Lois Lane. It was a crazy notion, yet somehow, it seemed to make a lot of sense. Lana had made him feel like he could be a part of something, but after so many tries, their relationship always seemed to reach the same point. It became predictable, stale, and he knew now that he had been more in love with the idea of her than who she actually was.

Lois however, well he couldn't think of any words to describe her. And that wasn't a bad thing. She was a force of nature, but he knew the real Lois, he never saw an idealised version of her. What you saw was what you got. But she made him feel alive, quite simply, Lois made him _feel_.

Before he could stop himself he said. "Lois, sparks or not, you don't really know this guy."

"That's why I'm going on a date Clark." She said, exasperated. "It's usually what people do to get to know each other."

"Do you always wear so little on a first date?" He blurted out.

Lois looked down at her attire. "Got a problem with the way I look?" She asked. Clark swallowed, yes he had a problem with it. She was too…exposed. He didn't like it. But he also knew it wasn't his place to say anything.

"No, I…I'm just looking out for you, that's all." He stammered.

"Aww, thanks Clark, but I'm a big girl I can take care of myself." She drawled and he didn't quite know what that tone was in her voice. She didn't sound annoyed, but she didn't sound entirely happy either.

"I know you can Lois…just, be careful huh? This guy could very well be dangerous." He said softly.

Lois looked a little surprised for a moment, but she quickly masked it with a smirk. "Careful Smallville, you almost sound like you're worried about me."

Clark looked at her silently for a moment, his eyes meeting hers and for a second, he felt something pass between them. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, that's all. Contrary to what you might think Lois, I do care about you."

Lois' smile faded as a flash of light hit her, robbing her of her senses for a split second. _Not another one_. She inwardly groaned as the picture shifted in front of her eyes. The room became dark, the only light being provided by the glow of the fire she had been curled up next to. She saw Clark enter, heard him ask how she was doing.

And then something happened that hadn't occurred before in all these visions. She felt something. It was a mixture of sympathy and admiration and it was strong. She remembered that day all too well, her heart aching as she'd said goodbye to the only man she'd ever loved until now. But she knew that what she was feeling right now, wasn't what she'd been feeling at the time.

She looked at Clark closely, his face seemed to match what she was feeling. It couldn't be…she couldn't seriously be feeling what he was feeling at that time…could she? So much had happened since she had first started getting these visions, she wasn't sure what exactly was classed as weird anymore.  
A voice whispered in her ear. "_Open your mind and your heart Lois." _

Clark watched her, his concern increasing as he waved a hand in front of her face with no response. Her eyes were glazed over, like she was seeing something he couldn't.

"Lois?" He grasped her shoulders and stared into her eyes, there was nothing there.

"Lois, talk to me. Are you okay?" This was happening more and more lately, was there something wrong with her? Something bad? He saw tears appear in her eyes but they didn't fall as her breath hitched in her throat.

"Lois!" He shook her gently but she didn't even flinch. Moving his hands up, he cupped her face, stroking a thumb across her cheek. "What are you seeing?" He whispered, more to himself than to her.

Instead of an answer, he was thrown when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her chin against his shoulder. He stood frozen for a few moments, unsure of what to do. On some level, he knew that she wasn't in any immediate danger, or pain, but this was really starting to scare him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, waiting for any sign of response from her.

Lois felt the tears burning her eyes as she leaned into Clark's embrace. He'd been such a comfort to her that day, more than even he knew. Slowly, the scene started fading back, bleeding into reality and she was suddenly aware that she was still in his arms. Without thinking, she hugged him a little tighter, feeling incredibly safe in his presence, taking a moment to just feel the warmth coming from him.

Eventually, she stepped back and avoided his gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at him and said. "Behave yourself."

Clark stood dumbfounded at the way she just breezed past him as if nothing had even happened.

She took a moment to steel her nerves before opening the door, aware of Clark's eyes burning holes into her back. Okay, so it hadn't been the wisest move to have him zip up her dress, it had left her feeling more than a little worked up, but she hadn't been able to resist the opportunity to tease him. And now, inviting a man she didn't know into her home with Clark standing there silently judging, also seemed like a bad move.

She hated that he'd been present for yet another one of her blackouts, he would no doubt be asking her about it later. But for now, she had other things to attend to. But she could still feel his arms around her, surrounding her. Shrugging it off, she threw open the door. Sebastian stood there with a big smile and bunch of flowers.

"These are for being nice to the new guy." She took them from him.

"How sweet." Clark cleared his throat, clearly displeased at being ignored. "Oh, you're probably wondering who the strange man in my apartment is. This is Clark, he's one of the Daily Planet's sharpest errand boys."

Clark threw her a glare, stepping forward to extend his hand. But before Sebastian could take it, Lois swept by him, pushing Clark out of the door. He'd barely gotten a chance to get a really good look at the man she was going out with. But something told him that he wouldn't like him, even if he had.

"Clark was just on his way out. So uh, don't forget to pick up my dry cleaning before you drop off those documents." She ordered before mouthing. "Go." And then slamming the door shut on him.

He stared at the door for a long moment, fighting hard with himself to not use his x-ray vision and see what was happening in there. Something was definitely off with Lois, and as soon as he had this whole Jimmy issue sorted, he was going to find out exactly what it was.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine**_

"Chloe!" Clark barged into the Isis Foundation in a panic and stopped when he found Chloe in the control room. "Jimmy knows my secret."

"What?" She spun around to face him, her look of shock matching what he was feeling.

"Between the research and these family photos, he figured it out."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Clark. I had no idea Jimmy could pick you out of line up, not from that blurry mug shot."

"The important thing is we find a way to throw him off the trail, for his own good." Clark paced the room, his legs restless, needing to do something, anything to protect Jimmy from knowing the truth about him.

"So what are we going to do?" Chloe asked, noting the way he was pacing with a frown. She'd seen him worked up about someone finding out his secret before, he had been worried but never this…antsy. "Clark, is there something else that's bothering you?"

"What? No, I just want to get this over with. Jimmy can't know who I really am Chloe, it will ruin his life." Clark replied, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

"Sorry Chloe, I know that it hasn't been a picnic for you either. But you've handled it well and I honestly don't know what I would've done without you all these years."

Chloe smiled. "Its okay, I know what you meant. But Clark, seriously, what else is there?"

He looked at her for a few minutes, as if deciding whether or not to say it. "It's nothing that can't wait until later Chloe. There are more important things to worry about at the moment."

"Well, maybe Oliver could help." She suggested, watching as he once again started pacing. "You know, like you did for him when Lois suspected he was the Green Arrow."

Clark stopped and turned to stare at her. "You know, that's not actually a bad idea. I just hope he's sober enough to actually be able to help."

"He owes you Clark, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten that."

Clark frowned. "Have you seen Lois lately?" That seemed to catch Chloe off guard, she stopped on her way back to the computer and turned to face him.

"Not since yesterday, she stayed at the Planet late last night and was gone by the time I woke up this morning, why?"

Clark shrugged. "No reason, it's just…she seems to be acting a little…"

"A little what?" She asked, leaning her hip against the table in the back room of the Isis Foundation.

"I don't know, haven't you noticed lately that you could be talking away to her, and it's like she's on a different planet?"

Chloe snorted. "Well, Lois' attention span has never been that big Clark. You know how she likes to 'live in the moment'"

Clark shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and shook his head. "No, this is different. She seems to drift off and her eyes get this hazy look, like she's not really focusing on anything. It's happening more and more lately and it takes longer for her to snap out of it too."

"So what do you think it is?"

"I don't know." He replied, unsure of whether to mention the latest development with her grabbing hold of him whilst blacking out. He still wasn't sure why she had done that but he hadn't been able to let go of her while she clung so tightly to him. It was like, she'd needed him for comfort or something and he had been only too willing to oblige. Maybe she just brought out his protective urges. He had no other explanation.

"Did you know she was going on a date today?"

Chloe spoke up from the other room, where she was now sitting typing away. "No, but what does Lois going on a date have to do with anything?"

"Nothing really it's…" He stopped as Chloe turned around, fixing him with an expression he couldn't quite read.

"Could it be that Clark Kent is jealous?"

"What? No…" He murmured. He wasn't jealous, he was just concerned. "I'm just looking out for her that's all. She doesn't even know this guy. She only met him today."

Chloe's mouth curved into a little knowing smirk. "So why the concern all of a sudden? She's dated guys she'd only just met before, you weren't bothered then."

Clark bristled at the insinuation. "I'm not bothered now Chloe. I just don't want anything bad to happen to her that's all. She's my friend and your cousin."

Chloe held up her hands. "Okay Clark, whatever you say." She turned back to her screen, eyeing him as he walked over and stood beside her. He studied the monitors without speaking for the longest time until finally, Chloe couldn't stand it anymore.

"Clark, what's really bothering you? The fact that there appears to be something wrong with Lois, or the knowledge that she is, at this very moment, out on a date with a guy we don't even know?"

Clark opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again when he had no idea what to respond with. And his mind wasn't helping him one bit. All it kept dredging up was the image of Lois in that red dress. The dress he'd helped her zip up. He cleared his throat and focused back on Chloe.

"Let's just focus on Jimmy. We'll figure out what's wrong with Lois later."

Chloe smiled as she returned to her task of finding out where Oliver was. _Well, Jimmy's right about one thing. Maybe Clark and Lois would be great together._

* * *

Lois let out a quiet sigh for what seemed like the hundredth time as she listened to her date ramble on about some note book he'd had with him whilst in Iraq. It wasn't that she didn't find the subject interesting, being an army brat, she found it very interesting. But her thoughts kept drifting back to Clark.

The feel of his hand lightly brushing her back, his hot breath on her neck, the look in his eyes that she could've sworn looked a lot like jealousy as he saw her date. Though she knew she had been imagining that one. All of it just kept swimming around in her head, making it hard to focus on much else. But, with a final sigh, she pulled herself from her reverie and smiled.

"I thought you said your notebook made it all the way to Baghdad and back?" She inquired politely, inwardly applauding herself for having heard some part of what he'd said.

Sebastian chuckled. "It did. Once the smoke cleared, I walked about a mile and a half to go find it."

Lois was impressed, though she hid it well as she replied. She wanted to know more about his other activities. "Wow, so what about the last few years? What kind of misadventures have you had?" She asked, knowing full well what kind. "Come on," She coaxed. "You can be honest about your past."

He chuckled again, his hand inching closer to hers over the table, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that she shouldn't let him touch her. There was too much going on in her brain to read.

"Where do I start?" He said.

"Any big investigations?" She supplied. "You know, where you went deep undercover with a drug lord or crime family or maximum security prison."

Sebastian held his hand up as he took a sip of his drink. "Okay, bullets flying over my head is one thing, but stick me in a tiny little cell, no thank you, claustrophobia's a *****."

She eyed him for a second. From what she remembered on the flash drive she'd 'borrowed' from Tess, she knew that he was able to steal people memories, but only the most recent ones in their heads.

"Have you ever had your palm read?" He asked. She blinked and smiled back.

"I don't do too well with fortune tellers. The last one I went to see told me that I was destined to fall for a guy who…flies a lot and likes to wear tights." She chuckled at the last part. "So I'm just waiting for my cross dressing pilot to make his landing."

As soon as she finished saying that, her world seemed to tilt suddenly, causing her to wonder exactly how strong the wine she'd had was. She watched as the whole room began to spin, faster and faster, until eventually, it started slowing and she was in a different place.

It was the rooftop of the Daily Planet and it was night time. Clark was standing on the wall in front of her, looking down at her with a smug grin.

"_Clark, this isn't funny. You can come back down now._" She heard herself say, nervously.

"_Or you could come up here with me_."

He'd lifted her into his arms, with such ease that she hadn't really registered at the time because she'd been too focused on his eyes, penetrating hers. They were the deepest blue she had ever seen.

But his emotions were what captured her attention this time round. He was feeling very confident almost over confident, not an emotion she'd often associated with Clark Kent. But also, she could feel his desire for her. He wanted her. _Okay, that's new._

Before she could really register anything else, Clark had crouched and then…jumped? She had all of two seconds to realise that they hadn't hit the ground like they should've. Then she was feeling the wind through her hair as they soared through the night sky, she clung to Clark as he kept a strong arm around her. He looked so determined. Before she knew what was happening, they had landed softly on Oliver's balcony and he had spun her around in a circle, still in his arms.

The look on his face said a lot, but the attitude she felt within him was overpowering.

"_What'd you say about a dorky farm boy_?"

"Lois? Hey," She came to, blining rapidly as Sebastian snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Sorry?" She muttered, trying to get herself under control.

"Where did you go just now?" He asked, watching her with narrowed eyes. Something in his demeanor had changed. He seemed very interested all of a sudden.

"I was just…" She paused, trying to think of something to tell him. "I uh, guess the wine's a little stronger than I thought. Actually, would you mind if I cut this date short? I'm not feeling so hot."

He didn't respond for a moment and Lois wondered what he was thinking. Eventually, the smile returned and he held out his hand as he stood up.

"Sure, it's no problem. Come on, I'll drive you home." She stood, but didn't take his hand. The last thing she wanted to do was give him a front row seat to her memories.

This particular vision had unnerved her. She didn't remember actually going through that. So where had it come from? Was it simply a side effect of whatever had been done to her? Or was it more? It couldn't possibly be real.

* * *

The drive back to the Talon was a mostly quiet one, with Lois contributing little to the conversation. Her mind was still on what she'd seen back in the Ace Of Clubs. What had that been about? Clark could fly? She really couldn't get her head around that one, it had to be her mind thinking the impossible. Nobody could fly.

Even though she knew that Clark possessed certain abilities, she still wasn't convinced that he was the one that Jimmy had captured on film. Though she definitely had her own suspicions. But maybe, just maybe, these visions of Clark with powers, were purely fantasy mixed in with the real memories she had of him. Maybe it was her mind telling her what she wanted to see. But then, why would she want to see that?

But in her latest memory replay, she had felt what he was feeling and that was unnerving in itself. She never knew that Clark Kent could or would think of her_ that_ way. She had a feeling that there was a lot more to that forgotten memory than what was being shown. But why couldn't she remember it happening?  
She looked up and realised that they were now at the Talon and Sebastian had parked the car and turned the engine off.

"Well, thanks for dinner." She said, trying her best to sound nonchalant and pleasant.  
"Now you'll be able to make it across town without a tour book in your hand."

"Hey, you said you had that extra transit map. Why don't I come up and get it?" He asked, politely. "We can have a night cap."

She returned the smile, but a warning was flashing in her mind. "I like night caps but, unfortunately, I'm on a lethal deadline. I have to proof read a five thousand worder, due at dawn." She lied.

"I'm a hell of a speller. Why don't I come up and give you a hand?" He countered. Damn, he had an answer for everything. That, or he really wanted to get into her apartment. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

"Thanks, but uh, spell check is actually my best friend. See you manana." She quickly got out of the car and headed towards the back door of the Talon. Just as she'd unlocked the door, she was shoved forward, colliding with the wall in front of her. He closed the door behind him, holding a gun out.

"No one can know who I am."_ Oh crap!_

* * *

Clark paced the sidewalk in downtown Metropolis, eager to get this show on the road. He only hoped that it worked and Oliver didn't do anything to screw it up. He wasn't exactly reliable lately. He spotted Jimmy walking up to him. "Jimmy, thanks for meeting me."

Jimmy shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at Clark with hesitation. "Look Clark, I…I just want you to know that no matter what you tell me, I'm not gonna look at you any differently. You'll always be the same old CK to me."

Clark quickly threw a glance at the rooftop across the street, seeing Oliver lurking in the shadows. "Jimmy, let's go get a cup of coffee. Set the record straight once and for all."

"Whatever you're comfortable with man, I'm here for you." Jimmy replied, falling into step beside Clark.

At the same time in Smallville, Lois was staring down the barrel of a gun and slowly inching her way backwards in her apartment, desperate to find something heavy with which to hit him.

"I'm sorry Lois, but I am never gonna be locked up again." Then she heard the gun click and knew she was out of time. She lunged forward and made a grab for it, swinging his arm out of the way so that she could hit him with her other hand. He grabbed both of her shoulders and shoved her back hard against her desk, but she kept her grip and pushed him against the wall, wrestling with him until they both fell to the ground and the gun slid from his hand across the room.

Lois raised her leg and kicked him square in the chest and made a run for the gun, but he was too fast. Before she got to it, he shoved her hard, making her collide with the wall. He was relentless. Without thinking, she reached into her jacket pocket and hit her speed dial, kicking his legs out from under him as he approached.

"You know Clark, I can understand why you don't want me to know about you." Jimmy said as they started crossing the street.

"And why's that?" Clark asked.

"I figure you think that maybe it's too dangerous for me. But…"

"Jimmy, I…" The sound of his cell phone ringing cut him off. He fished it out of his pocket and pressed the button.

"Hello?" Lois' voice came through loud and clear and…panicked?

"Clark. Help!"

"Lois?"

"Help Clark!" Clark froze at the fear in her voice, he watched as Chloe's car approached, weighing up his decision. But Lois was in danger, there was no decision to make. He grabbed Jimmy's shoulder and led him across the road.

"Listen I just need to make a phone call, wait right here…" He said, walking behind a wall.

"Now?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Once he was out of sight, he took off for Smallville. He was greeted by the sight of Lois lying on the floor after having just been put through her coffee table, blood pouring from a cut on her lip, and her date was standing behind her, ready to shoot her.

He grabbed the guy's collar and thrust him back violently, sending him flying into the wall behind him, rendering him unconscious. It had probably been a little over the top, but Clark was angry. How could any man treat a woman that way?

Clark glanced back at Lois, who was just turning her head to see what was going on, he wanted to stay and make sure she was okay, but he couldn't risk it. Satisfied that Sebastian was out for the count, Clark sped out of the door.

"What the…?" Lois murmured, squinting in the dimly lit room to see her assailant in an unconscious heap on the floor. Grunting, she stood up and tried to ease the pain she was now feeling in her back. She stood over Sebastian, he was out cold. She could hear the sirens approaching, he must have called the police after he left.

Glancing around the room, she wrapped her arms around herself as the realisation set in. It had to have been him. It was way too coincidental that she had called him and a minute later, she had been saved. She closed her eyes and sent him a silent thank you.

His name left her lips on a whisper. "Clark."

"Jimmy, what happened?" Clark asked as he made his way over to a smiling Jimmy. There was a man lying unconscious a few feet away and Clark wasn't exactly sure what had happened in the few minutes he'd been gone.

"Do you actually expect me to fall for that? I know exactly what just happened. You…you saved me."

"Saved you from what?"

"That guy, I was getting mugged and you…"

Clark took a deep breath, he hoped that this worked. "Jimmy I wish I could take the credit but it wasn't me." Clark looked up to the rooftops. "It was him." Jimmy looked over his shoulder, his face falling as he saw the figure standing on the roof. Dressed in dark colours, but with a red cape flowing out behind him.

"No way. Man I wish I had my camera." Jimmy murmured in awe. Clark let out a sigh of relief, his secret was safe. For now at least. There were whispers coming from the drawing crowd as they all stared up at Oliver who, Clark suspected, was enjoying this a little too much.

But it did give him hope that maybe one day, they would be accepting of him when the time came.

"Who were you calling?" Jimmy asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the dark figure.

"Hmm? Oh, I was checking to see if Lois was okay."

That got Jimmy's attention. "Is she?"

"Is she what?" Clark replied, distractedly, watching as Oliver disappeared from view.

Jimmy chuckled. "Is Lois okay?"

"Oh, yeah. There was something going on at her apartment but she said that it was okay now."

"Good, she's definitely been acting weird lately. Well, weird for her anyway."

"You noticed it too?" They began walking again, now that the buzz was starting to die down.

"Yeah, it's like she's living in dreamland most of the time. I tried talking to her the other day, and I swear CK I must've repeated myself about five times before she finally heard me."

Clark frowned in thought. What was going on with her?

* * *

The next day, as he arrived to work, the bullpen was in a frenzy. He grabbed a paper from a passer by and looked at the front page. Jimmy's photo stared back at him with the headline: FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET.

For a second his gut clenched in fear, maybe allowing this to be printed hadn't been such a good idea. But as he looked around, watching as people read the article, the whispers coming from all directions, he knew that he'd made the right decision. People needed to know that there was someone out there, willing to do everything it took to help those in need. He wanted to be a symbol for hope.

He walked over to his desk and shrugged out of his jacket. "I am so sorry CK." Jimmy said, appearing next to him, looking a little embarrassed.

"Congratulations Jimmy," Clark smiled, handing him the newspaper.

He spoke as he looked down at his own picture gracing the front page. Clark knew that it was a rare moment for him. "To think that I all but pulled you out of a closet you weren't even in. I feel terrible."

"Don't feel too bad. I'm actually honoured you thought I could move with lightning speed."

Jimmy smiled. "Well you might not be superhuman Clark, but there's a reason that I thought you were the good Samaritan."

"And why's that, cause I buy girl scout cookies twice a year?" Clark asked, adjusting his tie with a smile.

"Seriously CK, you're the kind of guy that people can count on. Whether its your friends or strangers, you're always there for them. That's rare."

Before Clark could respond, a group of colleagues grabbed hold of Jimmy, dragging him away with them in excitement and celebration. He didn't even notice her wheel her chair across until she spoke.

"What's rare? A pen that works in this place?" She said frustrated. He smiled down at her.

"I heard about your date last night. Ended with a thud." Now that his identity was no longer in jeopardy, Clark felt a little more relaxed. Enough to do a little bantering with his favourite partner.

"I wasn't on a date Smallville, I was deep undercover on a dinner with a psychopath."

Clark chuckled, as he put one hand in his pocket and leaned forward against his desk. "Sounds like your type." He teased.

She glared at him as his expression turned serious. "Lois why didn't you tell me you were working on a story? I could've helped."

Lois kept her eyes on her work for a long moment. She didn't know what to say. Part of her just wanted to confront him, to ask him if he'd been the one that saved her last night. But it was cancelled out by the rational side of her brain that rarely spoke up and was annoyingly choosing now to do so. She knew he couldn't tell her. But that didn't mean that she couldn't be supportive in her own way.

"If I'd told you my secret," She said, trying hard not to put extra emphasis on that word. "It would've put you in harm's way. It was for your own safety."

"Thanks for looking out for me." He replied, with a genuine smile that did funny things to her stomach, making it flip. It was then that she understood. He wasn't not telling her because he didn't trust her. He was trying to keep his friends and family safe. And she respected him for that.

Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed him move around to her side of the desk. She felt her shoulder being seized by one of his large hands and shook hard. "Lois!"

"What?" She asked, surprised by him shouting her name so loud.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you'd drifted off again." He sat down on the edge of her desk and looked at her split lip.

"I'm sorry I didn't get your phone call till it was over." He said, reaching out to touch her lip.

Lois' breath left her body as she looked into his eyes, and for a split second it was like there was an electric current that passed between them. She wondered if he'd felt it too. Without either of them being aware of it, their bodies began to lean in towards each other, his hand still on her cheek, both of them lost in each other's eyes.

"Hey Lois…" Jimmy snapped them both back to attention and Lois could swear she saw Clark's cheeks flushing as he quickly returned to his own desk. "By any chance, did you take a peek at today's front page?" He said, practically beaming as he handed her one.

She drew in a steadying breath and plastered on a smile. "I certainly did Jimmy Olsen and I have to say that I underestimated you. As hard as it is to believe, I was saved now twice in two days." Her eyes fell on Clark. "Without a doubt, I am now officially a true believer in this red and blue super dude."

He didn't even flinch. It wasn't going to be so easy to get him to open up to her. Unless, she thought with a smile, she raised the stakes.

"And, I am going to do whatever it takes to find this camera shy superhero."

Clark eyes shot up to hers, and she thought she saw them narrow slightly. A slow smile crept across her face. Oh this was going to be fun.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**_

Clark skipped down the stairs early that morning, shrugging into his thick, red jacket, to begin his chores before he had to get to work. Now that Jimmy was no longer in danger of knowing his secret, he had another problem he had to deal with.

As he reached the bottom step, he heard a knock at the door then opened it to find the subject of his thoughts on the other side, grinning widely at him. She shoved a box into his chest and picked one up herself, brushing past him into the kitchen.

"Handle those with care Smallville, I've had those albums since I was ten." She warned.

"What could I possibly want with your Def Leppard anthology?"

"I'm taking you up on your offer," She chirped as she began unpacking her box. "You, me, Guitar Hero weekends." She smiled and the nodded her head once at him. "I'm moving in."

Clark was stunned to say the least. That had been the last thing he'd expected to hear. And while he couldn't deny that living with Lois would be fun, it sure would take some of the loneliness out of the big house, it also meant that he would be all alone with her. And he wasn't sure if that was such a good idea.

His mind was still trying to catch up with what had happened with that whole lie detector business. What did it mean? He knew now that he had some feelings for Lois but come on, this was Lois. She who taunted him relentlessly, who made fun of everything about him.

But also she who was loyal and caring and never treated him any differently whenever something weird happened between them. She who had always seemed to be there during some of the most awful moments in his life. Yeah, he had feelings for her alright. The only question was, did she feel the same? He was almost too afraid to find out. Scared that if he asked her, she would laugh right in his face.

"Now who's the one drifting off?" Lois joked, breaking him out of his thoughts. He glanced over to find her smirking at him. But he could see a curiosity in her eyes. He cleared his throat and looked back down into the box of albums.

"I wasn't drifting off and anyway, I thought you were going to see someone about that."

Her smile turned to a frown. "What, I'm going to go and waste a doctor's time for some stupid daydreams? No way Smallville, I can handle this." She said, heading over to the fridge to grab some milk and a box of cereal from the cupboard next to it.

She reached up to the top cabinet to get a bowl but it was too high and all of a sudden she felt him move closer. He reached up over her and brought a bowl down, handing it to her as she turned around to face him. His face was so close to hers that if she wanted to, she could just lean in a little more and their lips would touch. She suddenly found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss Clark Kent.

She had a brief thought that moving in with him would come back to bite her in the ass. It wasn't that she wanted to catch him out exactly, it was just that, she hoped that by being close by, he would somehow feel comfortable enough to eventually open up to her. That was what she was hoping for anyway. Plus she couldn't deny that it would be fun to bust his chops every once in a while when something happened that he couldn't explain his way out of.

Clark stayed where he was, towering over her, their eyes locked and the air filled with a tension so thick, Lois thought she might suffocate from it. His eyes drifted briefly down to her lips, and back up to her eyes as his head moved unconsciously forward just a little. For one heart stopping moment, Lois thought he was going to kiss her. But then he moved away, back over to the island in the centre of the kitchen and delved into her box again.

She bit back a sigh, she hadn't really wanted to kiss him. Okay, so that was a lie, but why on earth would he even want to kiss her?

"So do you think it's a good idea that we both live and work together?" Clark asked, getting back to the reason she was here, a relatively safe topic while he thought about what had almost just happened between them.

Had he actually wanted to kiss her? He didn't honestly know, all he knew was that she'd been looking at him with those bright hazels and he had been powerless to pull away. Her lips looked soft, inviting, captivating him. Yep, he'd wanted to kiss her. So why hadn't he? It had been the perfect opportunity.

Lois tilted her head and smiled. "Come on what's the worst thing that could happen? I'd see you in your snoopy boxers?" She laughed at the uncomfortable expression on his face but as she made her way back over to the counter, a flash whizzed through her mind.

She saw, ever so briefly, an image, clear as crystal, of Clark standing in his bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. His bronzed, muscled back stared her right in the face, making her mouth go dry. She gasped at the intensity but before she could fully react, it was gone, leaving her feeling a little confused. None of her other visions had been like that. This was just a flash, a snapshot of sorts.

Luckily, Clark was still going through her albums and hadn't noticed. She really didn't need another lecture on getting herself checked out. Though it was hard to believe, she knew what was wrong with her. And it wasn't something that a doctor could fix. But finding that woman was proving harder than she'd thought it would be.

"Oh, I found this on your doorstep, I guess ma Kent is still going to make you care packages." She quipped as she tossed a heavy looking box over to him, trying to ignore her inner thoughts and get the awkwardness out of the air. He frowned and set it down on the counter.

"There's no return address, that's weird." He commented, taking another metal box out of the cardboard one. His eyes flashed as he saw what was inside.

"What's the funky paperweight for?" She asked, leaning over to get a decent look at it.

"I'm not sure." He murmured, but as he touched it, it started glowing and a sudden dread filled him. He knew what this was. But how had it gotten here? He'd thought the Fortress crystal had been destroyed along with the Fortress last year. The whole house began to shake, walls rattling, things falling off of shelves.

"Lois," He yelled over the noise, afraid to have her anywhere near. "Get away, run, now!"

But she didn't, suddenly very worried for Clark, she lurched forward, tackling his arm as he held the crystal away as if that would protect her.

"Smallville just drop it!" She yelled, but then the room was filled with a bright light and the next thing she knew, they were flying above the farmhouse, she was trapped, watching as Smallville started fading away.

* * *

Clark couldn't believe it, he just couldn't believe it. Not only was he trapped in the one place that scared him the most, but Lois was also with him. He'd found her lying face first in the dirt, and his heart had almost stopped until she started to come around. But his relief was short lived.

As soon as she'd seen where they were, she'd freaked out, saying that they had been abducted by aliens. He'd tried to play it off but she wasn't having any of it. Clark could count on one hand, the amount of times that Lois Lane had lost her cool, she was usually calm and collected in most situations. Even in ones where her life was in danger.

But this time, she hadn't been able to stay calm, as her wide eyes had taken in the blood red river, and the two suns shining in the sky. She was trying to be brave, but it was façade that she couldn't maintain for long and eventually, her fear shone through, piercing his heart.

She shouldn't have been dragged into this mess. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. But he swore that he would protect her, with his life if he had to. He had to find a way of getting her back to Earth, she didn't belong here.

He turned back to glance at her as she trudged through the sand behind, trying to keep up with him. He shortened his strides and fell in line with her.

"Come on Lois, you're doing great."

"Clark, we've been huffing it for hours, my legs feel like two ton barbells."

He winced when he saw the tiredness on her face. Seeing how she was struggling but wouldn't give up was endearing in a way he couldn't describe. When he'd woken to find that Lois had accompanied him on his journey, he'd thought that things couldn't get much worse. How wrong he'd been.

"Something tells me that standing still isn't a good idea."

She stopped next to him, huffing and puffing. "Right because you've been here before."

He had no reply for that, she had no idea how close she was to the truth. She moved on ahead of him. "Come on, let's move."

"Lois." He tried calling her back but she kept going. Then she fell over something lying in her path. He raced forward as she began to scramble her way back up.

"What the hell is that thing?" She cried, backing away from it quickly.

"Stay back." He knelt down to look at the decaying creature on the ground. All of a sudden the air was filled with a growling noise that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"I don't wanna die here Clark!" Lois shouted, bringing him to his feet. He walked over to her, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. But she was far from placated. She was terrified and it hurt him to see her so vulnerable.

"All we have to do is keep an eye out for each other and we'll be fine." He said, trying to reassure her. He would find a way out of this for her, he had to.

"We're not fine." She shot back. "We're standing on our graves. We're gonna die, us, together. No more farmhouse, no more Daily Planet…" Unable to bear hearing her talk like that any longer, Clark grasped her shoulders tightly and stared into her eyes.

Raising his voice to be heard over the wind, Clark said. "Listen to me! No one's gonna mess with Lois and Clark, right?"

Lois closed her eyes for a second, feeling a little calmer at his touch and his words. "They better not."

"Okay, now let's keep moving huh?" She nodded and pulled away from his hands, starting off again in front of him. She didn't get very far before something landed behind her from out of nowhere, hitting her on the back of the head.

"LOIS!" He yelled, running forward as she fell to the ground. But her attacker was standing in between them, and Clark saw a brief glint of a knife blade before it connected with his cheek.

He spun around and fell to the ground, his cheek now oozing a warm liquid he wasn't used to feeling. He felt two bony hands clasp painfully around his throat, squeezing hard and he managed to turn himself around so that his attacker was lying on top of him, but he could see it's face.

_Zoners_, he realised with dread, as he looked up into the cold, black, soulless eyes of what could only be described as a skeletal form, cloaked from head to toe in black. It screeched at him, hurting his ears as it continued to squeeze the very life out of him.

Then Clark froze as something else flew into his vision. Another figure, cloaked in black, landed next to Lois and began to crouch down over her. A wave of panic washed over him, he had to get to her and fast.

He threw a hard punch into the zoner's face, momentarily knocking it off guard long enough for him to escape his clutches and stand up. As the zoner tried to slash him again, Clark grabbed its arm and yanked it forward, wrenching the knife from its grasp and driving it straight into the creature's back. It howled in agony, Clark hadn't realised that it would actually feel it, instead hoping to just incapacitate it for a few moments.

The creature that had accompanied him immediately stood up and turned in their direction as the first zoner fell to the ground. But Clark knew that he wouldn't be down for long. Using its own momentum against it as it ran forward, Clark flipped it over onto it's back, bringing the knife down into its chest.

He wasted no time and was by Lois' side in a second, lifting her into his arms and running as fast as his suddenly heavy legs would carry him. He had no idea where he was going, there wasn't exactly many places to hide in this wasteland.

He glanced down at Lois, there was blood coming from a large cut on her forehead, she'd obviously hit a rock on the way down, and almost wept in relief when a large cave came into view. He ran as fast as he could, deep into the cave, only stopping when he was far enough in that he could no longer see the entrance.

He walked over to a corner and gently lay Lois down on his red jacket, the only thing he had to offer for comfort. Tearing off a piece from the bottom of his blue t-shirt, Clark applied gentle pressure to the wound on her forehead. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek.

"Please be okay Lois." He whispered into the darkness. There was only just enough light to make out her features, but the rest of the cave was dark and he had no idea what lay beyond in the distance. He didn't want to find out.

He heard a low groan and his eyes shot back to Lois to see hers opening slowly. "Smallville? What happened?"

"We were attacked, you hit your head pretty hard." He told her softly, still dabbing at her forehead gently.

"By what? Where are we? Oh my God Clark, you're bleeding!" She said, her eyes opening wide as she saw the cut on his cheek. She'd never seen him bleed before, and with recent knowledge at the forefront of her mind, she wasn't sure he even could bleed. It was very unsettling to see the crimson liquid running down his cheek. For some strange reason, she'd thought he was invincible.

He shook aside her concerns as he concentrated on her. "I'm okay Lois. How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

Suddenly remembering that she had a handkerchief in her back pocket, she sat up and fished it out, and then pressed it against the cut on his cheek. He winced a little but then his mouth curved up into one of the most adorable smiles she had ever seen on him. And she'd seen a lot.

She looked down at his shirt, where he'd torn a piece off for her wound. It revealed the bare skin of his stomach underneath and she couldn't help but stare.

"Clark, how did we get here? What's gonna happen to us?" She asked, her voice weak with the emotion that she hated herself for showing in front of him. But for the first time in her life, she was really scared and she needed him to tell her that there was a way out of this.

"I don't know Lois." He replied, avoiding her eyes. He looked incredibly sad, and almost a little…guilty. Could this place have anything to do with who he really was? That thought brought a startling realisation to her. _Oh my God, what if Clark isn't meteor infected? What if he's really…not from Earth?_

But that was an insane notion, it was just the head injury playing with her mind. There was no such thing as aliens. And yet, here they were, definitely not on Earth anymore.

"Well, whatever happens," She said, cupping his other cheek, as she held the cloth against his cut. "I just want you to know that…"_ I love you_. She let out a deep sigh. She just couldn't say the words.

"That I'm glad that it's you I'm stuck here with. Oh, that sounds terrible, I didn't mean that I want you to be stuck here, I uh...I just meant…" She trailed off, cursing her brain for telling the wrong words.

He chuckled a little and moved to sit behind her, pulling her back against his chest, letting her lean against him. He wrapped his jacket around her for warmth.

"It's okay Lois, I know what you meant. And for what it's worth, I'm glad that I'm the one that's here with you."

Clark wrapped his arms around her as she started shivering. Leaning his good cheek against her hair, he caught a whiff of her shampoo, it smelled gorgeous, and so out of place in this horrid wasteland.

He leaned back against a wall, holding her close to his chest, and sighed. "I promise Lois, I'm gonna find a way out of here for us."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

As the wind howled around outside, creating eerie noises inside the cave, Lois found herself snuggling closer to Clark. She didn't know why but she felt safe when he held her. Like nothing could touch her while she was in his strong arms.

Her mind was whirling with the events of the past few hours, although she had no idea how long they'd been in this hell-hole, it felt like a lifetime since she had first barged into the farmhouse with her stuff earlier that morning. She buried her face in his jacket, inhaling the deep scent of him, feeling it soothe her shattered nerves.

"Lois?" She heard him whisper and tilted her head back up to look at him. The cut on his cheek had stopped bleeding now, but was an angry red wound that she didn't like seeing on his beautiful face.

"Yeah?" She pressed when he stayed silent.

For a moment, he simply looked at her, as if deciding whether or not to ask her something.

"How's your head feeling?" He asked and she knew that hadn't been what he'd wanted to say. She let out a quiet sigh as she saw his eyes become guarded, like he was afraid of admitting too much to her.

"It's fine, throbbing a little but…that wasn't what you really wanted to know was it?" She asked, deciding to tackle this subject once and for all.

"What do you mean?" He said, feigning confusion.

She rolled her eyes. "Clark, there's obviously something on your mind, so why don't you just save us both a lot of time and energy and just…spit it out."

He seemed to take a long time considering his reply and she wondered if she had pushed a little too hard. She waited with baited breath until he finally started speaking.

"I'm so sorry you got dragged into this mess with me Lois. I hate that you're trapped in this place."

His tone was so soft that it tugged at her heart. "Clark, there's nothing you could've done. I was the one who grabbed that glowing rock thingy too, so really my being here is mostly my fault if you think about it."

He shook his head determinedly. "No Lois, there are things outside of our control sometimes but this…it shouldn't have been you…" He said, placing his hand against her cheek. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you here."

"Hey, I'm not the only one who got sucked away from home Clark, you're here too. But we can get through this, remember what you said?"

He shook his head again and she twisted round a little so that she was facing him. "No one's gonna mess with Lois and Clark. That's something I would still like to believe in."

The corners of his mouth lifted in a half smile as she winked at him. "Though we certainly could use some help." She said, sighing as she began to stand up, needing to put a little distance between them.

"Yeah, well I don't think we're gonna find any out here." He said solemnly, standing up and walking around to stretch his legs.

"Yeah, I guess not." She agreed, but then a thought hit her. "It's a shame our resident hero isn't here. He could be really useful right now."

She watched his face out of the corner of her eye, he seemed to swallow hard at her words, shifting slightly in his stance.

"Lois, you don't really know much about this guy, just because he saved you a couple of times, doesn't mean he can't have another agenda."

"Smallville if you really believe that, then you're more naïve than I thought. He's done nothing but save people from the very first moment he showed up in Metropolis. I hope one day I have a chance to meet him,"

"And what would you say to him? It's obvious that he doesn't want to be seen, otherwise people would've spotted him already." She frowned at Clark, he was making a very big deal about this. But maybe that was how he was trying to throw her off the scent.

She wondered briefly, that if she didn't already know he was the mysterious blur that had appeared in Metropolis, would she have been able to recognise the signs he was so clearly showing her now. Would she have noticed that he was protesting maybe a little too much for someone who shouldn't really have an interest in this guy?

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "But I do know one thing," She said, stepping closer to him, her eyes catching his. "I don't know how, but I just know that he only has good intentions. I can just feel it."

"But how can you be sure of that?" He pressed.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I can't, but that's why its called faith Smallville. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct and let things happen naturally."

"And you aren't scared that he could be bad? He seems to have powers Lois, doesn't that scare or even freak you out at all?" He asked, his eyes staring deeply into hers, his expression deadly serious. He was hanging on every word she spoke.

"Honestly? No." She replied, surprising him. "He saved my life twice in two days Clark, that must mean that he's always around. Close by, ready to save anyone that needs him. I think maybe he feels some sort of need to protect those who can't protect themselves and I think that's just…" She trailed off, hoping to convey some of what she was feeling through her words.

But it wasn't coming out right. What she really wanted to do was grab him, kiss the life out of him and then tell him that she knew. But she couldn't do that. She would wait. For him, she would wait until he was ready to tell her. If ever that day came.

"I think it's admirable and incredible. He's just what our city needs right now. Hope."

Clark couldn't believe his ears. Lois Lane was basically sticking her neck out for a super powered guy she'd never even seen, and yet she did it with so much conviction that it melted Clark's heart. If he didn't know he had feelings for her before, this was certainly his wake-up call.

The way she spoke about him with such passion was breaking down his defences, one by one until he could no longer deny it. He was falling for her. It was a scary thought, in fact it terrified him, up until now he'd only ever loved one woman. But this felt right somehow.

"Lois," He whispered, moving closer to her. He grasped her shoulders lightly and leaned in. Lois' breath quickened at the closeness, her heart beating madly in her chest as she realised that he seemed to be taking his time to tell her something. _Oh God, he's gonna tell me. _

"What is it Clark?"

He sucked in a deep breath, steadying himself. "Lois…I…I'm…" A loud growling noise from outside suddenly filled the cave, breaking them out of their moment. Clark's head snapped to the entrance.

"We should get out of here. Stay here, I'm gonna go check out if it's safe to leave." He started walking off, only to be pulled back by Lois' hand.

"No Clark, you're not going out there by yourself."

"Lois, I'll be fine. I'll only be a second and I'll come back inside for you I promise."

"Please, be careful." Reluctantly, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around her waist as he left.

He made his way back the way they'd come and stopped as he reached the entrance. As he looked around to make sure that no zoners were nearby, he felt something land behind him, pushing him face first into the dirt. He surged to his feet, ready to face his attacker but was shocked at what he saw.

"Kara?" He whispered, as he took in the cold, distant face of the cousin he'd thought he'd lost forever.

She pulled down her hood and frowned at him. "Kal-El?"

He grabbed her and wrapped her up in a giant hug, feeling a relief of knowing that she was alive, seep through his entire body.

"I can't believe you're here." He said, holding her tightly.

"What are you doing here? How did you even get here?" She asked, her tone slightly harsh.

"Someone reprogrammed the Fortress crystal to trap me here. I don't know who it was." He replied as he stepped back to look at her. She looked so different, so much more hard and detached. She'd obviously been here since Brainiac had trapped her here last year and he felt an enormous amount of guilt at not having thought of it before.

"I should've known Brainiac put you here. We need to find a portal back…"

"I did. Zor-El built me an escape hatch."

Clark stared at her in disbelief. "If you know a way out, why haven't you used it?"

"Because I didn't want to make the same mistake you did. Zoners got out when you left, I couldn't let that happen again." She looked up around her, searching the sky. "They're just waiting for me to open the portal again."

"So you stayed here, fending for your life, to protect Earth." He stated, feeling an immense pride at her sacrifice.

"Clark?" Lois' voice reached his ears and he turned back to see her standing at the entrance of the cave, wrapping his jacket tightly around her as the wind whipped her hair around her face.

"What is she doing here?" Kara asked, her anger renewed at seeing Lois.

"She was there when I touched the crystal,"

Kara shook her head and sighed. "She better be able to fight."

"She won't have to, we're sending her home." He said, walking past her to go to Lois. Kara grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"How many innocent lives is she worth to you?" Kara demanded.

Clark would never dare answer that question, he wouldn't put innocent people at risk, but Lois was worth a lot to him. He knew that now. He would not let her die in the Phantom Zone.

"We're not opening that portal Kal-El. It's too much of a risk. It stays closed."

Clark levelled her with a confused glare. He couldn't believe that she would put Lois' life in danger like this. Obviously her time in the Zone had had more of an affect on her than he realised. He'd only spent one day here before, she'd been here for a year. He couldn't imagine what that was like.

"Why are you acting like this? She doesn't belong here Kara, she's not one of us. Look I'll guard the gate but she's going home."

And with that, he tugged his arm out of her grasp and headed back over to Lois, who was starting to make her way towards them.

"Are you okay?" He asked. But her eyes stayed on the person he'd been talking to, widening as she got closer.

"Kara? Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

"Lois," Kara nodded in acknowledgement but didn't offer anything else.

"Is getting abducted by aliens a Kent thing now?" She asked, trying to sound exactly as she should…freaked out. But inside, her head was coming up with all sorts of questions. Was Kara like Clark? Did she have powers too? And what was she doing here?

Kara looked at Clark, and Lois could feel the battle going on between them in their eyes. Then out of nowhere, Kara grabbed her wrist and started walking away.

"Where are we going?" Lois yelled, turning her head to make sure that Clark was behind her.

"We're sending you home Lois." Kara replied.

"Wait, sending me home? What about you two, you're coming too right?" Her eyes shot to Clark's. "Right?"

"Clark's going to guard the gate so that I can open the portal to Earth."

"No! That is not happening you hear me?" Lois yelled, wrenching her wrist from Kara's hand. "Clark, you're coming too!"

"I'll be right behind you Lois." He said, moving closer to her.

She reached up and cupped his cheek, her eyes begging him not to leave her. "You better be."

Keeping her eyes on him until the last moment, Lois let Kara lead her into what looked like another smaller cave. As they approached the altar, Lois heard Clark scream.

"Clark!" She ran for the entrance, only to find that Kara had an arm around her waist, halting her. She noticed Kara slicing her palm open on the jagged rock and placing her hand on what looked like a giant S shape within a triangle. But the sounds of Clark being attacked outside made her dismiss it outright.

"Kara, he needs help!"

"Lois, there's no time, you have to go."

"Not without Clark!" She shouted desperately. She didn't want to leave him here.

But she didn't get a chance to do anything as Kara pushed her towards a bright light, and she felt her body being sucked through the air. Kara turned as the phantom flew towards her, her knife raised and ready. But the phantom was moving too fast, she pushed Kara out of the way, sending her flying into the wall, and disappeared into the light.

* * *

Lois woke up lying on an abandoned train track. She breathed a sigh of relief as she registered that she was back on Earth and in Metropolis. Her head was pounding, but as she touched a hand to her forehead, she found that her wound was no longer there. It was healed.

_What the…?_ And then it all came rushing back to her.

"Clark!" She yelled into the darkness. "Clark, where are you?" He had to be here, he just had to be. She couldn't bear to think of him and Kara still trapped in that place while she was safe here on Earth.

"Clark! Kara!" She yelled again, walking along the tracks.

She didn't notice the shape moving in the shadows behind her until it was too late. She felt something push her from behind, but then it felt like it was crawling its way inside her, filling her with pain until eventually, it subsided and all she could see was darkness. There was no way out. Lois was trapped within her own body.

Faora tilted her head from side to side and stopped to look down at her reflection in an old abandoned car's window. Touching her hair lightly, she smiled. "This will do."

She tapped into some of her host's memories, and her smile grew. "This will do very well."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**_

"Lois! Oh my God I've been so worried about you!" Chloe said as she turned to see her cousin standing in her doorway at the Isis Foundation. "I took some of your things over to the farm and found broken glass everywhere and no sign of you or Clark."

She threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly. But she was stunned to realise that Lois wasn't reciprocating. Pulling back, she frowned at her. "Lois?"

Lois simply stared at her, an almost impatient expression on her face. Chloe's frown deepened. She was wearing her hair and make up a little differently. Lois favoured the subtle approach to her make up, while this, it wasn't exactly overdone but it wasn't Lois either.

"Lois, where's Clark?" Chloe asked, getting worried now. This wasn't her cousin. If her suspicions were correct, and after finding Clark's crystal on the floor at the farm she suspected they were, then Clark must obviously still be trapped and Lois was…

"I don't know who this Clark is. But you Chloe Sullivan…I know exactly who you are." Lois eventually spoke, her tone much deeper than Chloe was used to hearing.

"And who is exactly is that?" She asked warily, backing away towards the open door.

"You are friends with the son of one of my biggest enemies. The one you know as Kal-El." Her tone icy, she moved slowly towards Chloe.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tell me where he is." Lois commanded.

"What did you do with my cousin?" Chloe asked, afraid of the answer but she had to know if some part of Lois was still in there.

"I needed her vessel. Not my first choice but, surprisingly flexible." She drawled. There was a deep, powerful vibe emanating from her that scared Chloe.

Chloe took a chance and bolted for the door, but stopped dead when she saw Lois standing in front of her.

"Who are you?"

Lois squared her shoulders and stood up straight as she proudly announced her name. "Faora, wife of Zod."

Chloe didn't know who Faora was but she'd heard the name Zod enough times to know that this was very, very bad.

"I have spent years trapped in that prison." She said, stalking towards Chloe, forcing her to step back into the waiting room. "Zod was destroyed, by the son of Jor-El. When I saw the humans arrive in the Phantom Zone, I saw my opportunity and took it."

"Please, I have no idea what you're…" She let out a strangled cry as Faora seized her around the throat, lifting her with one hand with ease, choking her.

"This world will feel my wrath Chloe Sullivan. Zod could've been a great ruler here. Now I will bring your pathetic planet to its knees. Starting with your precious Kal-El. Now tell me where he is!"

Chloe struggled to pry her fingers away from her throat, she couldn't breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered. "The Phantom Zone."

Knowing that Faora wouldn't be able to find Clark any time soon, she hoped that Clark would get here before Faora/Lois, could do any real damage.

"The humans?" Faora said, a knowing smirk appearing on her face. "So the son of Jor-El is trapped in the very prison his father created. A little disappointing but rather poetic. It suits my purposes as well as any other."

Quite abruptly, Faora released Chloe, dropping her to the ground. Chloe grabbed her neck and breathed in harshly, trying to ease the dizziness that was now upon her. In the blink of an eye, Faora was gone, leaving Chloe alone and desperately hoping that she would see Clark soon. He was the only one who would be able to stop Lois.

* * *

Clark ran into the cave, holding his head. He was bleeding badly from several wounds inflicted during his fight with the wraith that had attacked him outside. He saw the altar, and Kara's blood. Feeling relieved that they had been sent back, Clark followed.  
He stopped when he saw his cousin lying on the ground, buried beneath a heavy stone pillar.

"Kal-El." She groaned.

"No." He rushed to Kara's side, sinking down to the ground next to her, trying to lift the pillar. But it wouldn't budge. "I thought you got out."

"A wraith escaped." She grunted.

"I'll get you out of here." Clark said, pulling at the pillar with all the strength he possessed, which at the moment, wasn't very much. He glanced at the floor, at the blood oozing out of her and pooling around her.

"Open the portal, get out before more prisoners come."

"No Kara, they'll kill you."

"Kal-El, look at me!" She demanded. "It was my destiny to find you and protect you, not the other way around. Go!"

"No, I'm not going anywhere." He replied, and went back to trying to free her. Her energy was waning fast, she was getting very weak.

"Kal-El, take my blood, it'll open the portal and take you home." She opened his hand and spread some of her blood onto his palm.

"You are my home Kara, do you hear me? You're my family. I won't leave you here to die. You're meant for more than this. You have to fight Kara, you have to stay strong."

Kara didn't reply, she just looked at him with a sadness in her eyes.

"Please Kara, you make me feel like I actually belong. I will not let you rot away in this place! Come on."

She dragged in a rough, unsteady breath and began to push the pillar at the same time that Clark was pulling. Between the two of them, they managed to get it off of her.

But a spike that had been sticking out of the pillar had lodged itself in Kara's abdomen and she was bleeding badly. Clark had to get her out of here so she could heal. He lifted her into his arms, and walked over to the altar.

"You ready?" He asked, she nodded against his shoulder. He placed his palm against the House of El insignia and the two of them were sucked into the white light that would take them home.

* * *

"Clark, if you are getting any of these messages, please call me back. It's urgent."

Chloe flung her phone down on the table and went back to her computers, scanning for any signs of Faora causing any damage. So far there was nothing, but sometimes no news wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Chloe!" She almost cried in relief when she heard his voice and ran through to meet him, stopping halfway when she saw who was with him.

"Kara? You were in the Phantom Zone too?" Kara smiled and nodded as Clark wrapped Chloe up in a hug.

"Where's Lois, have you seen her? Is she alright?" He asked, an urgency in his voice as he grasped her shoulder. He needed to know that she was at least safe now that she was back. But as Chloe shook her head, he feared that things were only just starting to get worse.

"Far from it. She was infected by something, does the name Faora ring any bells? Strong, quick, hater of man?" She asked, noting Kara's head spin round to face her.

"Zod's wife. The wraith that escaped." She reminded Clark as he turned to her. The dread seeped through his body, this could not be happening. He'd kept Lois alive in the Phantom Zone, sent her home and yet she was still in danger. More so now than ever. She was possessed by an alien being and there was no telling what Faora would do in Lois' body. He had to find her.

Turning back to Kara, he said. "I need you to go Metropolis Police Department, find Jon Jones, ask him for his crystal. He'll know what you mean."

"Hey Clark just a head's up…" Chloe interrupted. "Lois has all of your abilities without any of your inhibitions."

Clark nodded, worriedly. "Don't worry, I can handle Lois."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

Faora came to a stop in front of a large yellow house, the sunflowers blowing around in the breeze she had created. After learning from her vessel's memories that this small town was where Kal-El, whom she now knew as Clark, lived, she had decided to check it out. To see how the son of the great Jor-El had been raised.

She looked around with disdain. He had been raised as a simple human on a farm. _Disgusting. A disgrace to his people_, she thought. He had the power of a God, yet he wasted it, here on this farm.

Her vessel certainly had been a interesting choice. Fragments of the woman's memories were seeping into Faora's mind and it was highly enlightening. He looked so much like his father, it was uncanny. Her blood curdled at the thought of the man who had imprisoned her and her husband.

Jor-El couldn't pay for his mistake, but Kal-El was now suffering for him in the Phantom Zone. It was fair in her mind. But these memories she was seeing, they weren't complete, there were bits and pieces missing. Like her host couldn't quite remember the whole thing.

The most recent one being that this woman, had somehow managed to discover the true identity of Clark Kent. He was known as the Red-Blue-Blur to the citizens of this world? _Interesting_.

She walked around the yard, taking in the detail of the horizon lying just beyond the fields. It was certainly a pretty sight, but nothing compared to Krypton. Zod would've been a great leader here. She moved towards the tall red wooden building and stopped just inside. Her lip curled up in disgust as the smell of animals and hay reached her nose.

She placed her hands on her hips and looked around, there was nothing special about this place. So why did it hold such a significance for the woman she possessed? She began to climb the wooden stairs in front of her, knowing that by doing so, she would reach the place Kal-El spent most of his time when he was alone.

There was an old couch, a desk and various belongings up there. So primitive, so, human. She would be doing this planet a favour by destroying it. Which was exactly what she was going to do now.

Turning to leave, she made it out of the barn and downstairs before she heard the whoosh of air and felt his presence behind her. Slowly, she turned around, a smirk growing on her face. He had escaped somehow.

"I've been looking for you." Clark said in a deep voice, stopping right in front of her.

"You're too late Kal-El." Clark sucked in a sharp breath, hearing his Kryptonian name coming from Lois' lips shocked him. The fact that she was at his farm was also unsettling. Why was she here of all places?

She looked the same, unharmed, yet so different. This wasn't his Lois. It was her eyes, there was a coldness there that he had never seen before and knew that Lois didn't possess.

She tilted her head and studied him. "Zod may be gone but I will destroy your world for what you did to him."

Clark heard her words but he couldn't focus on them. He couldn't believe that this was happening to Lois. He had to save her. But for that to happen, he would have to wait for Kara and he didn't know what this Faora woman was capable of. She was certainly angry enough to do what she was threatening and he knew that it would be his job to do whatever it took to stop her.

"Lois, I know you're in there." He said, staring deep into her eyes for any sign of recognition.

"Remind me Kal-El, how does it feel to be last of your kind here on this planet? To have the powers that mortal men can only dream of, yet waste it by playing the suffering hero."

Ignoring Faora, Clark decided to focus on Lois. He looked deep into her eyes, hoping that some part of her could hear him. "This is all my fault Lois, I'm sorry."

Her expression changed into one of understanding. "You have feelings for this creature I inhabit."

Clark was taken aback, how was it that she could see that so easily? He'd only just become aware of it himself. "Lois is not a_ creature_. She's a human being and you have no right to take over her body. I'm sending you back to the Phantom Zone where you belong."

She scoffed. "Like father like son."

Before he could react to that comment, Lois' hand shot out and connected hard with his chest, sending him flying through the roof of the barn. He came crashing back down into his loft, landing on his couch with bits of wood raining down on him. He got up and quickly shrugged himself off, turning to find her standing before him, looking very angry.

"Jor-El may not be here to feel my wrath, but you Kal-El, you will feel it for him."

She raced up to him and he felt her fist hit him square in the jaw and the next thing he knew, he was seeing the fields of his farm as he zoomed over them. As he came to a stop in a great pile of mud, he saw something blur past him. Looking up, he saw Lois standing over him, looking very smug.

"Pitiful." She scoffed. "I expected more from you Kal-El. I thought you would at least put up a decent fight before I destroy you and your pathetic planet."

Clark stood up, facing her, but then her expression changed again. "Oh, you won't fight me will you?" She nodded in understanding. "Not while I'm in this vessel."

"Stop calling her that!" He yelled angrily.

"Living amongst these humans has made you weak Kal-El. You've even fallen for one."

He was getting angry, her words causing it to bubble up inside him. "Krypton may have been your home Faora, but this is mine, I was raised here and I'm proud of it. These humans are stronger than you think. The one you inhabit right now possesses more strength than I ever could. So yes, I care about her and I'm not ashamed of that. She's special."

"I really doubt that."

"You're talking about our race like we're Gods. Let's not forget that because you all thought you were invincible, your planet was destroyed, your own husband was the culprit. He betrayed Krypton and everyone on it. He deserved to be in that prison, so don't tell me that humans are weak when you're no better!" He shouted, his tone laced with confidence in what he was saying.

Faora growled and tried to punch him again, but he was too fast for her. He grabbed her wrist but didn't count on something else. She let out a laugh, kicking him backwards towards the barn.

There was a moment of sheer disbelief that Lois Lane was kicking his ass, but he had to remind himself that she wasn't the Lois he knew. This was a cold blooded killer intent on destroying everything he loved. Starting with Lois. _Wait, did I just think that?_

He moved into super speed and caught her off guard on her next attack, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders and pinning her to the ground beneath him. Their eyes met as she struggled under his weight, his angry and confused, hers cold and calculating. He hated it. This wasn't Lois. He wanted to see the warmth back in those bright hazel eyes, the twinkle that came with her teasing. He wanted her back.

"Finally, a little back bone. But you're out of your depth here Kal-El, I'm not some fragile little human you can push around. I am the wife of General Zod," She raised her arms, and pushed his chest, and once again, Clark found himself lying on his couch in the loft.

He had no time to ponder the damage to his barn as Lois landed on top of him, straddling him with her thighs, her hand around his throat squeezing the life out of him. She was incredibly strong.

Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, Clark registered the way that Lois' body felt against his. Like it was made to meld with his own. Perfectly shaped. He cast that thought aside quickly and tried once more to focus on her eyes .

"Lois," He choked. "Lois, stop."

She smirked. "Lois can't hear you."

She carried on squeezing, both of them unaware of a certain curly haired blonde sneaking up the stairs behind them. There was a red glow, and a loud noise, distracting Faora for a few seconds. And then, Lois' body shot upright and Clark saw the wraith being ripped from her body and sucked into the crystal that Kara had gotten from his Martian friend

Lois collapsed onto Clark, her body draping over him, her head resting on his shoulder. He gently pushed her hair back to see her face, she looked okay but she was out cold. Breathing heavily, Clark wrapped both arms around her, holding her protectively against himself.

Kara came running over, crouching down next to them. Clark's face and pretty much his entire body was covered with mud and Lois's face and clothes were also smeared. She wondered what had happened before she'd gotten here.

"Does that mean she's okay?" She asked.

"I don't know." He said breathlessly, turning his worried eyes from Kara back to Lois. "I hope so."

* * *

Lois awoke to the sound of birds chirping and cows mooing and sunlight streaming in through the window. Where was she? She raised her head and took a look around, she was in the Kent's living room, lying on their sofa with a splitting headache. She hadn't gotten drunk again last night had she? She couldn't remember a thing. Which was slightly worrying.

She glanced down at herself, well, at least she was fully clothed. Though how the heck did she get mud on herself? It wasn't much but it had definitely stained her clothes. Clothes that she didn't remember putting on. This was not good.

Slowly and carefully, she swung her legs off and sat up. Before she could even blink, there was a cup and a donut thrust into her line of sight. Her eyes followed them up to the man that was holding them, with a caring expression on his face.

"What's this?" She asked, taking them from him.

"I thought you could use something sweet." He said, smiling sweetly.

"Why am I lying on your couch? And why the hell am I covered in mud?" She huffed as he sat down, a little too close, next to her. His thigh brushed against hers, sending a wave of heat up her leg.

And then it came back to her. Bringing her things over to the farm, telling Clark that she was moving in, him getting a weird item in a package. Her touching said weird item and then…nothing. It was blank.

"Clark, what the hell happened to me?" She shrieked.

"You fainted." He replied meekly, avoiding her penetrating gaze.

"I fainted." She repeated, clearly disbelieving. "Then why do I have mud all over my clothes and why is there mud on your face?"

Clark inwardly grimaced, he'd obviously missed some when he was cleaning up. He had thought about cleaning Lois up too, but that would've involved taking clothes off and touching bare skin, he wasn't sure he could've handled that. Not with the feeling of having her body pressed up against his still fresh in his mind.

So he'd cleaned her face up and left the rest. After he'd brought back in here, he had found himself watching her as she slept, trying to figure out what exactly was so special about her. He still hadn't come up with an answer when she'd woken up. Lois Lane was just indefinable to him, and he liked it that way. She was unpredictable, and certainly never boring to be around.

"Smallville!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "An answer some time today would be nice."

"Sorry, uh well, we were walking out to the car to go to work and you suddenly came over all dizzy and fainted in the driveway." He couldn't think of anything else that might've worked. He watched her mulling it over for a few seconds, glancing down at her clothes before back to him.

"That doesn't explain the mud. Your driveway is gravel."

_Damn_. "It's been raining Lois, you know how it gets dirty when it's been raining. This _is _a farm after all."

"True, but then why do you have it on you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

"I carried you into the house, how could I not get any on me? I thought I'd cleaned it all off though."

Lois sat back in silence. Of course she knew that Clark would've helped her up, that was just Clark. But he'd carried her in here, laid her down on the sofa and waited until she came round? Not only that but with coffee and a donut too.

"Well I…thanks Smallville." She didn't know what else to say. "But why on earth did I faint? I never faint."

"Must be a blood sugar thing, hence the donut." He said, nodding his head towards the donut still in her hand.

She shook her head slowly, something weighing heavily on her mind, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"No, there was something else. What happened with that crystal thing? The last thing I remember is touching it and then a bright light and then…nothing."

Clark frowned in confusion but something was telling her that he knew exactly what she was talking about. This had to have something to do with who he was. Why else would he hide it from her? She just wished he didn't feel the need to have to hide it at all.

Clark watched Lois carefully, he could see her trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together but was coming up short and it was frustrating her. And he knew there was nothing more annoying to her than being frustrated. He had no idea what he should say now, he couldn't very well tell her the truth.

A little voice popped up inside his head. _You know you could, you're just afraid to. Afraid of her getting hurt, afraid of her life being ruined, afraid of her rejecting you. But mostly, you're afraid of her never seeing you in the same way again_.

And what was wrong with that? He defended to himself. It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before. People who knew about him generally suffered because of it. His mom, his dad, Pete, Lana, Chloe. They had all given up so much for him. He wouldn't add Lois to that list too. No he needed to protect her from all that. He didn't know why, but his need to protect her, outshone everything else.

But that voice, that annoying little voice that would just not shut up, kept hammering away at him, trying to make him see that he could tell Lois the truth. Maybe he could and maybe it would all be okay. But it wasn't a risk he was willing to take right now. She was safer off not knowing. But he couldn't deny that the thought of Lois looking at him differently was unbearable.

"I don't know what to…" He began, looking over at her but stopped when he saw her expression. She was staring off into space, her eyes glazed over just like he'd seen for the past few weeks on and off. She had drifted off again.

"Lois?" She didn't even hear him, didn't even blink. He waved a hand in front of her face, nothing.

"Lois!" He yelled, knowing that usually that was enough to bring her out of it. This time however, it wasn't. He grabbed her free hand and squeezed it gently. "Lois, can you hear me?"

She snapped back to attention and turned her head to look at him, her hazel eyes filled with shock. She seemed to take a moment to let herself adjust and then she looked down at their interlinked hands. She dropped his quicker than if it were a hot potato and shot to her feet, aiming for the back door.

"Hey, Lois!" He ran forward and caught her by the wrist, spinning her around to face him. "What is going on with you?"

She didn't reply, she just looked at him with a panic in her eyes that sent alarm bells going off in his head. What had she seen? What did she remember?

Moving forward a little, he took her face in both hands, staring deep into her eyes. "Lois, tell me, what's wrong." He murmured.

Lois couldn't get any sound out of her mouth, she closed it and opened it again but no words came. It wasn't what she had seen that was freaking her out, it was that it had actually happened. The two of them on what seemed like some distant planet with two suns, Clark protecting her in the cave, cleaning her wound with part of his shirt, holding her tightly, almost confiding in her, and then, the scary part. Kara had sent her back to earth, and she felt something take over her body. Something evil and twisted. It left her feeling cold all over.

"Lois, you're scaring me, what is it?" He asked, smoothing his thumbs over her cheeks. She shook her head and pulled back, away from his touch. She needed time to think about this.

"I uh, I have to go." She was out of the door before he could even stop her.

Clark watched as she made a run for her car, whatever she'd seen had certainly scared her enough to want distance from him. His shoulders slumped, if he'd ever needed proof that she should never know about him, he had just been given it.

* * *

Clark sat in his loft hours later, the darkness setting in around him as he stared into the metal box that contained his Fortress crystal. This thing had caused him nothing but trouble from the moment he'd first laid eyes on it. He thought about burying it, somewhere it could never be found, but knew that wasn't a possibility. He had to hold onto to it, for now at least, until he knew whether or not he could trust it again.

"Looks like somebody's got cold feet, and he isn't even at the frozen tundra yet." Kara's light voice quipped as she stood at the top of the stairs with her arms folded, watching him in amusement. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't even heard her come up.

"After what this crystal did to Lois and I, there's no way I can trust it to rebuild the fortress." He replied, slamming the lid shut on it.

"How is Lois?" She asked, walking up the last step to come and sit on the sofa next to him. "She really did a number on this barn huh?" She chuckled, assessing the giant holes in the roof and the walls.

He let out a long sigh, he hadn't seen or heard from Lois since she'd ran out on him earlier. He'd thought about tracking her down and talking to her, but she obviously needed some space away from him right now.

"She's uh…I actually don't know how she is Kara."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she remembers something about what happened. I just don't know what, and I couldn't get her to talk to me."

"You couldn't get Lois Lane to talk? That's gotta be a first." She chuckled.

"This is serious Kara, she looked so scared and I didn't like it."

"Well of course you didn't Clark, you lo…like her." She corrected, hoping that he hadn't picked up on her blunder. If he didn't know what she could already see, there was no sense in pointing it out to him. He had to figure it out in his own time.

She had been doing a lot of thinking all day, about her life but also about her cousin's. Seeing the way he'd been so protective of Lois in the Phantom Zone had definitely intrigued her. But the deciding factor had been just after she'd sucked that phantom out of Lois with the crystal. The way he'd just laid there and held her so tight, protected in his strong embrace. It had brought a lump to her throat.

And then of course, there had been the whole 'taking care of her afterwards' thing. She had made herself scarce, visiting her favourite places in Smallville, getting reacquainted with things and then staying up in her old room for most of the day but she'd heard snippets here and there of their conversation. Yeah, her cousin was definitely falling for Lois. And Kara could see why.

Lois had been so scared in the Phantom Zone as anyone would've been in her position, but she'd held it together remarkably well. Her tenacity had definitely been a strength in there, and the way that she'd worried about Clark being left behind, the fear in her eyes had told Kara that Clark's feelings weren't entirely one sided.

"So, did your adventure with Lois end with you telling her your secret?" Kara asked, wondering if Clark would actually be brave enough to take that particular risk. But seeing the look on his face, she knew he hadn't.

"Not exactly." He replied, standing up. "All I ever wanted was to keep Lois away from my secret, to protect her from that part of my life, but that nearly got her killed. I really don't know what I would've done if something had happened to her."

"You want your cousin's two cents?" She asked, and his face softened as he smiled at her in response. She stood up and walked over to the window, leaning her hands on the edge as she looked out at the stars shining brightly in the dark sky.

"Lois can handle it. She's tough, and strong. You wouldn't have let her get so close if you didn't think so too."

Clark frowned as he thought about that, had he let Lois get too close? Maybe, but it hadn't been a conscious thing. But then, Lois always did have a way of sneaking past his defences. He nodded in wry acknowledgment and turned his gaze back to Kara. She seemed…almost sad.

"I was beginning to miss these family lectures." He smiled. She closed her eyes for a second, steeling herself against the pain she was about to inflict.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around. "I'm leaving Smallville."

"Kara you just got back." He said, his smile now fading as her words sunk in.

"When I was in that hell hole, I heard rumours that Kandor still exists. Kal-El, I think that part of our civilisation may have survived before the explosion, if I can find that city…I can save our bloodline."

Clark took a few steps towards her. "Then I'll go with you."

"Kal-El, there's a reason that you were sent to Earth and raised as a member of the Kent family. Your path is on Earth. Living amongst the humans and inspiring mankind."

Clark shook his head, he didn't want to hear this speech again. Somehow, someway, his destiny always came between him and the people he loved. "Kara we can do all of this together."

"We can't." She replied. "I don't fit in here. My journey is somewhere else."

Clark stared at her for a moment, knowing that what she'd said, she truly believed, but he didn't want to let her go. He took another step and wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned her cheek on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna miss you." He said softly.

She closed her eyes and then stepped back. "I'm gonna miss you too" She reached into her shirt and pulled out her necklace, holding it out for him to see. A long silver chain with the House of El emblem on the end of it.

"See? You're always with me. Close to my heart."

He smiled sadly at her. "Kara…"

"Kal-El," She blew out a breath. "Clark. I'll see you again someday I promise. But just…be happy. I know you don't want to tell Lois your secret, but something tells me that she'd be a lot more understanding if you did. Just…think about it."

He nodded as she leaned in and kissed his cheek and then she took off, flying out of the window and high into the night sky. He watched as she slowly faded from his view, a sad smile on his face. He was so proud of her.

With a heavy heart, he made his way down the stairs and back over to the house. He saw Lois' boxes still lined up on his porch and doubted that she would still want to move in at the farm after what had happened today.

He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved by that thought or not. A part of him had actually wanted her to live back here. He sighed as he opened the door and walked inside, feeling more alone now than ever.

"So…" A voice came from the living room and he couldn't stop the smile from forming.

"You gonna tell me what happened today Smallville?"


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

There was somewhat of a stalemate between Clark and Lois as he stood in the kitchen and she sat on the sofa in the living room, staring at him. The air was filled with silent tension as Clark tried to decide what on earth he was supposed to tell her. Did she remember everything? Or only some things? He needed to find that out first before he opened his mouth.

He cleared his throat. "Lois, what do you mean?" She only raised an eyebrow at him in response.

"You fainted, I took care of you, that's what happened."

"If that's all that happened then how come you won't look me in the eye? And how come I clearly remember you getting a package this morning that contained a certain blue crystal?" She countered, getting up to walk over to him. He backed away a little but was trapped when his back collided with the counter.

"I did receive a package yes and it was…"

"When I touched it, something happened didn't it? Something weird." She was close now, so close that if he wanted to, he could reach out and pull her into his arms. And for some strange reason, he really wanted to.

After everything that had happened in the Phantom Zone, he knew that Lois was tough and strong, yet also incredibly vulnerable and he wanted to be the one to protect her. But he'd also seen how incredibly loyal she was to the Red-Blue-Blur, well essentially, to him.

And he suddenly found himself seeing a whole new side of Lois Lane. A side that completely threw him, because just when he'd thought he knew everything about her, she revealed something else. But it was a side that he liked…a lot.

"Define weird." He said carefully.

She rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up, exasperated. "Clark, we were literally yanked from this planet and dumped into another one. It was like nothing I've ever seen before, dark and cold and…suns…two suns in the sky." She replied, frowning as the memories hit her full force. "Explain that one."

He scoffed nervously. "Lois that's ridiculous, two suns in the sky? Come on,"

She narrowed her eyes defensively. "Did I hit my head or something then? Cos I know what I saw Clark, and it was definitely not normal." She backed off a little, taking a seat at the island in the middle, but her gaze was still on him.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under her intense scrutiny, Clark moved away from the counter and took a seat on the opposite side to Lois. He clasped his hands together and rested them on the table in front.

Then with a sigh, he began. "Lois, I did get a crystal in the mail but…" He paused, taking a moment to make sure this was what he really wanted to do. He had two choices available to him right now, he just hoped that he was making the right one.

"But it was just a paperweight that my mom sent me from Washington, she thought it looked nice. There was nothing weird about it." He could see her weighing it all up, considering the information he'd given her. "Then we left the house to go to work, and you suddenly fainted in the driveway, and you may have hit your head, I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?"

"By the time I got around to you, you were already lying face down in the dirt. So I carried you inside and took care of you until you woke up."

Her eyes seemed to soften then. "Clark, I remember a lot of things, things that can't just be a figment of my imagination."

He pursed his lips. "Like what?" He was nervous, Lois was like a pit-bull on a pant leg when she got a hold of something and he knew that she wasn't going to let this go no matter how many lies he spun her.

"Well for starters, Kara was there too, she'd been abducted like us."

Clark inwardly groaned, how was he going to explain Kara. He thought about it for a few moments and as he did so, he could feel her eyes burning into him.

"Kara was here Lois. She came back to visit but she didn't stay very long. You must've heard her voice or something while you were semi conscious. I really can't think of another explanation for that."

"You can't huh? So you're telling me it was all an hallucination?" She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on one hand.

"It was a pretty intense one even for you." He replied, shifting on his stool.

"So I passed out, just like that? No word of warning, no sign that anything was wrong? Cos I remember feeling fine Clark." She was really going for it, he thought. She knew something and he knew that she was just trying to get the truth out of him. After what she'd been through, she deserved to know but he couldn't risk it. He didn't want her to get hurt. Not because of who he was.

"You were getting breakfast when you arrived, we left without you eating so I guess your blood sugar must've dropped."

"Pretty radical drop." She murmured.

Then she let out a sigh and stood up. Before she walked back into the living room, Clark was sure that he caught a brief look of disappointment on her face. But he just couldn't believe that she was letting this go that easily. No more questions, no more interrogation.

It felt strange to him. Because every time Lana had come close to finding out about him, she'd pressed and pressed until he couldn't take any more. Their whole relationship had been built on lies and questions and somehow, it was different with Lois. She was inquisitive sure, but she also knew when to back off.

"But then I guess it had to be a dream, what other reality stars you as my knight in shining armour?" She chuckled, but then stopped immediately as she realised what she'd said. Swiftly turning around to face him, he could see that she was still hesitant to believe what he'd told her, but there was something else in her eyes that he couldn't define.

"I was your knight in shining armour?" He asked, not really knowing why he chose to focus on that piece of information when she was staring at him so intently. But even the implication of that was enough to make him stop and wonder. Did Lois Lane think of him _that_ way?

He stood up and crossed over to her, stopping barely a foot away from her.

"That's why it's called make believe Smallville." She chuckled tightly, punching him on the shoulder in the usual way.

"So Kara left huh?" She asked, trying to quell the intense disappointment she felt. He wasn't going to tell her the truth. She remembered everything that had happened to her, to Clark, to Kara. They had definitely been taken somewhere and she knew that Clark was just hiding it from her. And as much as she respected his decision to protect her by not telling her, she felt a little disheartened that he couldn't open up to her.

It had indeed been a strange day. But the part that had scared her enough to flee the house before, had been remembering the feeling of being possessed by something or someone very cold and full of hate. She had been trapped in a dark hole and couldn't get out.

But then it had been okay, she had woken up on the sofa and everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be around her lately.

"Yeah, she's uh…" He trailed off and Lois suddenly saw the sadness in his eyes.

She wanted to do something, anything to erase that look, she hated seeing him like that. She took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling his head down to rest on her shoulder. She felt his arms come around her as he heaved out a sigh and pulled her in to him tightly.

"Where did she go Clark?" She asked softly, threading her fingers through his hair at the base of his neck.

"I don't know. She said she didn't fit in here, that she felt like an outsider so she left. I think she mentioned something about tracking some family down that she hasn't seen for a while."

He sounded calm, composed, but Lois could sense the sadness lying just beneath the surface. A sadness that he was trying desperately to hide from her. But why?

"She'll come back I'm sure." Lois replied softly.

"I'm not so sure about that Lois. I just…no it's stupid."

"What? You can tell me."

"I just don't know why everyone keeps leaving me Lois. It's like I literally watch the people I love either die or walk out of my life and I can do nothing to stop it. I hate it."

She pulled back and placed a hand on his cheek, his eyes were soft and pained and while he held it together pretty well, he looked as if he wanted to cry.

"Hey, I'm still here. I may be a little rough around the edges and sometimes my foot constantly lives in my mouth, but I'm not going anywhere." He nodded as he smiled and pulled her back into a hug.

She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against his and when she opened them, it suddenly became dark in the room. It was still night time and the house was silent. Clark's arms were still around her but the difference was, he was holding onto her with such ferocity, as if he was scared to let go.

She could hear him crying quietly and then she saw the glow from the TV and knew why. Lana had just left him. Saying goodbye with a dvd of all things, and breaking his heart into a million pieces.

And there had been no one there to pick up those pieces, no one but her. Seeing him in that much pain had been bad enough the first time round, but now, she was actually feeling his pain and it was overwhelming. She remembered that day well, the day that she'd finally lost all respect for Lana Lang. How could she do that to him?

She held him tighter, holding his head against her shoulder, stroking his back comfortingly. But it wasn't enough, his heart was tearing itself apart and hers felt like it was joining it. It was too much.

"Lois?" Clark whispered.

Something was wrong. Lois was holding him tighter now, almost squeezing him, running her hand through his hair, sniffling as she…wait a second…she was crying? Why was Lois Lane, a woman who never cried, now weeping into his shirt?

And then he heard her voice, so quiet, almost a whisper. "I'm so sorry." He tried to pull back but she just held on tighter, sniffling into his ear. He was definitely getting worried now.

"Lois, what's wrong?" He asked, though he knew that she couldn't hear him. She was gone again, and this time, he was going to figure out why. He wasn't going to let her play this off anymore.

He raised his hands and placed them on her shoulders, forcing her away from his body and with a sudden jolt, Lois' eyes snapped open and slowly focused on him.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, noticing the tears still running down her face.

"What?" She asked, confused. Then she seemed to notice her face was wet and her eyes widened in recognition. She quickly wiped her tears away, turning around so that he couldn't see. But just as she was about to walk away from him, he grabbed her arm and spun her back around. Her eyes flashed in annoyance for a split second but he wasn't going to let her get away so easily this time.

"Lois, this is getting ridiculous, you keep blacking out and it's really starting to worry me."

"It's nothing Smallville,"

"Don't do that Lois, I know something is going on with you lately, you're always distant and you keep zoning out and it's not healthy. I want you see a doctor." He said, his tone adamant.

"What are you my husband now?" She snapped, still feeling some of the emotions he'd kicked out in her memory. It didn't go unnoticed by her that they were now standing in the exact same spot that they had been in the last time.

"I'm just concerned…"

"Yeah well don't be, I can figure this out by myself Clark. It's nothing serious so stop worrying so much. I don't need an overprotective…" His forehead was creased with his concern and she could see it in his eyes, so she softened her tone just a little. "Look, I really am okay I promise. But…I will go and see someone first thing tomorrow okay?"

He nodded, feeling a little relieved, but it didn't ease his concern. She had just been in the Phantom Zone, anything could've been happening to her mind, he didn't know how it affected humans. He wondered if maybe being in there had made her blackouts worse because he hadn't been able to get her to respond until he'd physically pushed her away from himself.

"Good, I'm coming with you." He replied as she stepped away. She didn't get far, she turned her head back to stare at him.

"What?"

"I'm going to go with you to the doctors tomorrow?" He replied, but it came out as more of a question.

She shook her head and smiled. "I'm sorry, I could've sworn I just heard you say you're going to come with me?"

"I did."

"And are you gonna hold my hand too? Drag me in there if I don't wanna go? Seriously Clark, I'm a big girl I'm quite capable of getting myself there."

"I know but…look Lois this has been going on long enough. It's time we got some answers, you've been like this ever since…" He paused, a thought popping up in his head. "Your birthday."

Lois saw the cogs begin turning in his head and had to do something fast. She didn't want him to figure it out, she wanted to know what these memories were trying to reveal to her. Because so far, she didn't think she'd gotten the whole story on Clark Kent and while she preferred to get it straight from him, she knew that was never going to happen. So this was the next best thing.

But it wasn't only that, she also wanted to know why these visions kept showing her things that she already knew. Maybe their purpose was to let her see a different side of things, to make her see that underneath the dorky farm boy routine, Clark Kent really was an amazing man. But she didn't need visions to tell her that, she already knew it.

So she would just have to let them play out to their conclusion, if they even had one. She wanted to keep it to herself. She hadn't even told Chloe about it, and she always told Chloe everything.

"So is all my stuff still out on the porch?" She asked, heading towards the back door. She flung it open to reveal…nothing. It was all gone.

"Son of a…I've been robbed!"

"Uh Lois?" She turned around to see Clark wearing a sheepish expression. "I kinda moved all your stuff inside while you were out. I know I probably should've waited to see if you'd changed your mind after…"

"After what Clark?" She pressed when he fell silent.

"After everything that happened this morning, I wasn't sure you still wanted to move in with me."

"Move in _with_ you?" She teased, silently grateful that this was getting him off the subject of her memories.

"No uh, that's not what I meant…I uh, didn't mean that we would be _living together,_ just that we would be…well, living together, in the same house that is."

She chuckled and walked back inside, closing the door behind her. "Why would I change my mind? I love it here,"

Clark threw her a sceptical look. "Lois, you hated it here. The rooster woke you up every morning."

"Yeah well, if you had to share walls with pre-wedding Chloe and Jimmy, you'd prefer the rooster too. At least he only crows once."

"I really did not need to know that." He replied, shaking his head as if to rid it of the image.

"So where'd you put my stuff Smallville?"

"In Kara's old room."

"Great." She headed for the stairs, but stopped on the first step and turned around.  
"Clark?"

"Yeah?" He replied, walking over to her.

"I uh…I'm sorry that Kara left, but I just wanted to say that…" She sighed, this was too hard. Why couldn't she just tell him how she felt?

When they had been in that cave, hunched together, with him taking care of the wound on her head, her taking care of his in return, his jacket and arms wrapped around her, she had felt safe, loved, so why was she finding it so hard to express that back to him.

_Because he's denying it Lane, get a grip. He doesn't want you to know about him and he certainly doesn't think of you that way._ Her internal voice won out and she clamped her mouth shut.

"Wanted to say what Lois?" He pressed, stepping a little closer.

Since she was standing on the first step, she was on direct eye level with him and she had an urge to reach out and touch his face. He was so handsome, with features that would make any movie star jealous. His dark eyelashes were so thick, and they framed his beautiful blue eyes perfectly. Eyes that she could get lost in.

"I just wanted to say that, I know I sort of barged my way in here, but I do appreciate it."

"It's okay Lois. I'm happy to have you here, you know that." And just like that, the friendship barrier was once again back in place.

"Well, I'm gonna go and unpack and I'm sure you have stuff to do…"

"Yeah, I do actually." He replied, looking rather decisive. "But how about I bring something home for supper, since we both missed dinner?"

"Sounds great, Chinese?"

"If that's what you want." He smiled, a big toothy grin that lit the whole room up.

"Yeah, it's what I want." She said breathlessly, looking into his eyes.

* * *

"Chloe?" Clark called out as he entered the Isis Foundation a little while later. He'd called ahead to make sure she wasn't busy with Jimmy. He found her sitting at the table in the back room and she looked up and smiled as he walked inside.

"How'd it go with Kara?" She asked as he sat down.

"She left. She heard rumours about Kandor still existing somewhere, she wants to go and find it." He replied sullenly.

"But I thought that Kandor…" She held up her hand. "You know what, never mind. How's my cousin doing?"

"She seems okay but I think she definitely remembered something. She started asking me all these questions and I just didn't know what to say."

"Wow, so what did you tell her?" Chloe asked, abandoning her paperwork as she leaned back in her chair and sipped her coffee.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed out loud. "What could I tell her Chloe? I certainly couldn't tell her the truth, it would freak her out."

"I don't know…"

"So I told her that the crystal was a paperweight that my mom sent me and that she passed out in the driveway." He said, interrupting her before she could get into the whole 'Lois is tougher than she looks' routine that Kara had given him.

He already knew that she would be able to handle it, but the fear of her getting hurt kept him silent. Not only that but he had to admit that he didn't want her to look at him any differently.

Chloe snorted. "And she believed that?"

"I have no idea. Anyway, that's not really what I came here to talk to you about. Though it is about Lois."

At his serious tone, Chloe's smile evaporated and she leaned forward in her seat, giving him her full attention. "What is it?"

"Have you noticed her acting strangely lately, her blackouts are getting worse Chloe."

"Well no more than usual but, what do you think it is?"

Clark frowned, he could be wrong about this and if so, he would end up looking like a fool for even suggesting it. "I think it had something to do with what happened on her birthday."

Chloe raised a brow, inquisitively. "What did happen? Refresh my memory please." She chuckled.

"She was fine before she went into that hypnotist's booth. Now I know this may sound a little…"

"No actually Clark, I think you might have something there." She said thoughtfully, getting up to cross over to the computer. He followed as she began typing furiously, on a mission.

"Chloe what are you…?"

"Here, the carnival that was in Metropolis is now in…" She tapped a few more keys and as she concentrated, her tongue poked out of her mouth. Then she grinned. "It's now in DC."

"As in Washington?" His eyes widened for a second as she laughed.

"No as in Mars Clark, of course Washington. What are you complaining for? You could be there and back within a half hour."

He nodded and headed for the door. "Thanks Chloe, I'll call you if I find anything out."

"Hey Clark," He stopped just inside the doorway and looked at her. "Is Lois living at the farm now?"

"I think so, she seems happy enough to anyway."

Chloe lowered her head and sighed. "I never wanted her to move out of her own apartment."

"Hey, Lois is just giving you guys some space until your wedding." He replied softly, pulling her into a quick hug.

"I know but I don't like that she felt she had to. I never meant to take over her place, it's just so much easier living with Jimmy while we save for this wedding."

"She knows that Chloe, and besides, she may say she hates the farm, but I think deep down, she secretly loves it." He threw her a wink and headed back towards the open door.

Chloe smiled as she watched him leave. "Maybe it's not the farm she loves."

* * *

Clark came to stop in an alleyway across the street from the carnival. It was huge, much bigger than when it had been in Metropolis, he guessed that there must've been more but they were unable to fit it all in. He crossed the road, shoving his hands deep into his red jacket pockets and walked into the carnival.

He walked around for about fifteen minutes with no luck and then, he saw it. It wasn't the same booth as the one in Metropolis, that one had been a square little hut with a curtain for a door.

This one was a gypsy looking caravan, the ones that you saw at most carnivals but it had her name on the door. He knocked once and waited. No answer, so he knocked again and the door slowly opened. But as he stepped inside, no one was there.

"Hello?" He called out, having to lower his head to avoid hitting the doorframe and breaking it.

He waited for a few minutes, maybe she was on a break, maybe she wasn't even working today. Feeling a little disappointed, Clark turned to leave.

"Not going already are you?" A sweet lilting voice said behind him and he turned to see a woman with long jet black hair and piercing green eyes smiling at him.

"I uh, sorry I thought no one was here."

"How can I help you?" She said politely, taking a seat and gesturing for him to do the same.

"Uh well, I was actually hoping to ask you a couple of questions. Do you remember seeing a woman a few weeks ago, Lois Lane?"

"Hmm, Lois Lane. I'm sorry I don't go by names. Do you have a picture?"

"No I don't but I was hoping you could perhaps tell me what happened when she saw you?"

"I can't reveal that information young man." She said, her voice light and breezy and Clark wondered if she was always this happy. She just seemed so…happy. He couldn't think of another word.

"But something's happening to her. She keeps zoning out every now and then and it's getting worse the longer it goes on."

"I see." The woman replied, for the first time, her smile started to fade but not completely. "Is she experiencing any physical problems?"

"No, not that I'm aware of. She just…it's like she's stuck in a daydream and it takes a lot more to get her to snap out of it now." Clark shifted around on his stool, it wasn't made for someone of his size and he felt very uncomfortable, afraid of breaking it if he put his full weight on it.

"I need to know if something you did, may have affected her to cause this result."

"Whatever happened between us was only the beginning."

Clark frowned, what the hell kind of answer was that? "What are you talking about?"

She didn't answer, she simply sat there staring at him as if she were studying him. "Huh, you are interesting."

"What?" He asked, feeling the colour drain from his face as he realised that maybe she could see more than he thought. Did she know something about him?

"What is your name?"

"Clark Kent."

"Clark," She repeated, as if she had heard that name before but couldn't place it. Then she smiled. "Ah yes, Miss Lane's…friend. I remember you."

"How, we've never even met?" He asked sceptically.

"You see Clark, I'm a gifted woman. I'm not bragging, that's just who I am. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been able to see into the minds of others, not exactly mind reading, but catching little glimpses of their thoughts and feelings. When your friend came to me, she was very confused. Her mind was a swirling pit of questions she had no answers to. But one subject that was on her mind, was you. That's how I remember you. I'm afraid there is no reverse to the hypnotism. It has to play itself out and it will in time. But you…you're very intriguing. I can't see a thing. It's like there's some sort of wall, blocking me."

Clark began to feel very uneasy, he knew very well that even though there were con artists out there, some people, like the woman he was sitting in front of now, really could do what they claimed.

"Do you have feelings for this woman?"

"What? I uh…." He stuttered, not really wanting to answer that question. Not here anyway.

"Hmm, this is indeed interesting."

She reached into her shirt and pulled something out, Clark felt the pain almost immediately. Though it wasn't as bad as he'd had in the past, it was enough to knock the wind out of him.

He looked up to see her swinging a green locket in front of him, murmuring words that he couldn't really make out. His vision started to blur and he felt a little sick. Her voice kept reverberating through his head, though he couldn't actually grasp the words being spoken.

"Clark," She called his name, clicking her fingers in front of him, and then, he could see again. "How do you feel?"

"Uh, I'm okay. I think. What did you just do to me?" He asked, narrowing his gaze as she closed the locket and put it back beneath her shirt. It must have been cased in lead lined casing. That's why he hadn't felt it before she'd pulled it out.

"You'll see. But I promise you, it will be worth it Clark."

"What are you talking about? I came here for help for my friend, not to have something done to me. No offence Miss, but what you're doing could be dangerous. What if she has a blackout when she's driving, or…?"

"It doesn't work like that Clark." She smiled and he was beginning to feel a little irritated.

"Then tell me what you just did to me. Am I going to start blacking out too?"

"No not at all. But trust me," She grinned, her eyes holding a twinkle that suggested she knew more than he did at that moment.

"Even fate needs a helping hand sometimes."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

"Come on Smallville rise and shine!" Clark opened his eyes only to snap them shut again as Lois threw the curtains in his room open and the sun came pouring in. Burying his head into his pillow, his voice came out muffled.

"Lois? What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty and we've got a lot to do." He peeked out of one eye to see her standing by his bed with her hands on her hips.

"How are you up earlier than me?" He frowned, why had he slept in so late?

By now he'd usually gotten all his chores done, and with Lois staying at the farm he had to do them at the crack of dawn when she was still asleep. But it wasn't all that surprising, after all, Lois had kept him up till late last night. They had been playing Guitar Hero and he'd made the mistake of beating her on a certain song. And what made it even funnier was that it had been a Whitesnake song.

Well, of course, that had been it, she'd forced him into countless replays until eventually, he'd let her win just so he could go and do a quick patrol as the Blur and then get to bed. But he had to admit that it had been a lot of fun. Lois took all the loneliness out of the house, having her there kind of felt like old times when the house was full of people and even though back then, he had been sleeping on the couch, Lois brought an energy with her that was undeniable. Even if she did used to drive him crazy practically on a daily basis.

For the first time though, he was able to say that he was happy to be living with Lois again. Though there had been a few awkward moments here and there. But getting one over on her on Guitar Hero was something that was definitely worth doing, if only for her reaction alone. Her face had been priceless.

"Ugh! Clark, get up! The caterers are going to be here in half an hour, there's still so much that needs doing around the house and I still haven't called Chloe." Lois yanked his pillow out from under his head and smacked him with it. Instantly alert, Clark began to sit up.

Today was Chloe's wedding day and he couldn't believe that he'd forgotten about the arrangements Lois was now making to turn the barn into a place fit enough to house a wedding.

"You didn't forget did you?" Lois asked, frowning down at him.

"No of course not." He glanced up at her, noting the earpiece sticking out of her ear like an antenna and the flushed, impatient look on her face. As she stood in front of the windows, the sun flowing in around her, Clark thought she looked particularly beautiful that morning. Almost angelic. Until she opened her mouth.

"Are you just gonna sit there with your mouth hanging open or are you gonna get off your butt and help me?" She demanded, he could feel the frustration rolling off her in waves.

"I'm up." He replied, the response lame but he wasn't firing on all cylinders yet.

Having Lois storm into his room was a usual occurrence, but having her stand over his bed yelling while he was in it, was not and it was taking him a while to adjust. He sat up fully and let the sheet fall down his chest, realising too late that he was only wearing boxers. He heard Lois' sharp intake of breath as her eyes roamed over the broad expanse of his muscular chest and he could see her fighting hard to stop.

Then he felt the strangest sensation. It was like a sort of tingling going up his spine, creeping up the back of his neck and into his scalp. His skin felt like it was humming all over. He felt a little breathless, and for some insane reason he was starting to feel a little aroused. _What the_…?

He risked a glance back up at Lois and saw that her cheeks were turning a little red. _Okay, that's weird_. She looked exactly like he felt and her eyes refused to meet his. Odd.

She cleared her throat and quickly made her way to the door. "Come on Smallville chop chop, we got a lot to do."

Clark sat there for a moment, wondering where all that had come from, Lois had practically run out of the room. He stood up and stretched the fatigue out of his muscles, then he made his way through to the bathroom to get ready for what was undoubtedly going to be the longest morning of his life.

* * *

Lois felt like she was being pulled in several different directions as she marched through the throng of people milling about in the barn later that morning. The word 'busy' had taken on a whole new meaning. She had no idea how she was going to turn this filthy old barn into a beautiful chapel in time for her cousin's wedding to Jimmy. But since giving up was not in Lois Lane's vocabulary, she pressed on.

Turning on her headset, she waited for Clark to pick up. Considering his side profession, that man could be irritatingly slow sometimes.

"Lois." His voice came through, sounding resigned to having to speak to her yet again. "Yes I'm making sure that the chefs are all busy and yes the flowers are here and all arranged. Where are you anyway?" He said, firing off answers to questions he knew she would ask.

Annoyed at being beaten to the punch, Lois sniped. "Why, are you missing me already?"

"Lois…" His voice warned and she grinned to herself.

"What's the matter Smallville, can't handle the pressure? What on earth are you going to do when you get married?" She teased.

"Oh I can handle the pressure just fine Lois, it's the constant phone calls and checking up that I can't seem to grasp. Do you really need to call me six times in a half hour considering we're on the same farm?"

"You tell me, you're the one who's moving slower than molasses today of all days. What are you doing now?"

"I am about to…"

"Scratch that, you know what? We need someone here to take care of this tractor, its just outside the barn but its…well its unsightly, can you get it shifted?" When he didn't reply right away Lois sighed. "Please?"

"There, that wasn't so hard was it." He replied, his voice coming through louder as he stepped through the doorway behind her, making her jump. He grinned at her, turning her insides to mush and she simply didn't have time right now to be feeling things she should probably never be feeling for a guy like him.

"Whatever, just…move it." She stomped away, leaving Clark standing there looking after her and almost running into a guy carrying a load of silverware. She held out a hand, stopping him dead.

"Whoa, hold it, dinnerware stays outside until the reception presto change-o. Got it?"

"Of course. No problem."

Letting out a sigh she turned her headset back on. "Goldilocks this is Mother Goose, what's the status at bridal central." She listened to Chloe speak for a few minutes and then jotted something down in her notepad. "Half an hour ahead of schedule? That's great Chlo but don't get cocky or you'll fall behind. Over and out."

"Goldilocks?" Clark's voice teased as he came up behind her. Why did he always have to stand so close? After her reaction to seeing him lying in bed half naked this morning, a reaction she was sure he'd noticed, she did not need to be standing this close and finding out that he smelled as good as he looked.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No, but…" He paused, the laughter crinkling his eyes. "Mother Goose?"

She rolled her eyes and clapped him on the shoulder as she walked around him. "Don't worry _Bambi_, you can have a name too."

She felt a brief moment of satisfaction as his smile faded at the name. "Bambi?"

"Or would you prefer Thumper? No, I think Bambi is perfect for you." She chuckled and walked away from him, spotting Jimmy's friend from the Daily Planet. She thrust a camcorder into his hands and ticked it off her checklist whilst giving him his orders, silently pleased as Clark walked out the door to get on with the task she'd just given him.

"So you got that? I want testimonials, candids, but I don't wanna know you're here alright, you're a fly on the wall."

"Got it." He smiled and held up a clenched fist. "Ring that bell."

Lois glanced at it and then with a serious face said. "No."

She walked around, watching as the various hired hands got on with their jobs, satisfied that everything was going according to schedule and then went outside to grab some fresh air and soothe her shattered nerves. Living with Clark was harder than she'd thought it would be.

She heard the creaking of old metal around the corner and as she walked around, she saw Clark's foot disappearing around the back of the barn. Moving a little closer, she stopped and leaned against the barn when she saw him pushing the tractor. That wasn't what caught her attention though.

No, what made her jaw drop was the fact that he was pushing it, with one hand and he made it seem like it was no more than a simple toy instead of a huge, heavy piece of machinery. Her mouth went slack as she watched the muscles bunching under his blue t-shirt, and she had the briefest urge to run her hands all over them.

His job done, Clark stood back and dusted his hands off, looking pleased with where he'd parked the thing. Lois turned to leave, but had a fleeting thought about just staying and letting him know that she'd seen him, that she already knew all about his strength. She wanted to end the pretence of not knowing, and to let him know that he could trust her. But she couldn't, not now, not today.

For one thing, it was a conversation she envisioned taking a while, and second, this day was about her cousin, not her. She walked back around to the front of the barn but couldn't bring herself to go in just yet, her mind was racing with images of Clark. She closed her eyes, clutched her notepad close to her chest and leaned back against the wooden wall.

"Lois?" His voice startled her, her eyes flew open and she dropped her notepad. Clark frowned at her. "Are you okay? You didn't black out again did you?" His voice was full of concern as he clasped her shoulder and stared deep into her eyes.

"No," She replied, flustered by being caught. "No I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced. "Then why are you so jumpy?"

"I was just taking a break and you startled me, that's all." He stared at her for a long moment and Lois fought the urge to run a hand over her hair, she didn't want him to think that she cared what he thought she looked like. Except for some reason she couldn't explain, she did care.

After a few silent moments, Clark released his hold on her shoulder and then they both, at the same time, bent down to retrieve her notepad.

"Ow!" Lois yelped as her head clashed with Clark's. Man that hurt, she was actually seeing stars. She wavered for a second and then felt Clark's hand back on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Lois, are you alright?"

She shook her head to clear it, blinking rapidly. Then her breath caught in her throat as she realised how close his face was to hers. She swallowed hard, unconsciously running her tongue across her lower lip.

She saw his eyes flick down as if transfixed by her actions. And then, as fast as it had appeared, the moment was gone and he stepped back, handing her notepad back to her. She rubbed at the sore spot on her forehead, hoping that it wasn't going to bruise. "Man, you've got a hard head Smallville."

He shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry."

"So what did you do with the tractor?" She asked, moving onto a safer subject while she tried to get her breathing under control.

"I put it behind the barn, out of sight don't worry." He chuckled.

"By yourself?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Nothing, it's just that…well it's heavy and it doesn't work so how did you move it?"

He faltered for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as she saw him trying to work out an explanation. "I released the brake and just pushed it, its really not that heavy Lois and I have been moving it for years you know."

She smiled. "If you say so, I guess bailing all that hay for years makes you pretty strong huh?" She said, the double meaning behind her words obvious to her, but hopefully not to him.

He smiled and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah I guess it does."

There was another awkward pause before Lois finally spoke. "Okay…well, I guess I should get back to work. Chloe's gonna be here soon and there's still a lot to do."

"Lois?" Clark called as she walked away. She stopped and turned around.

"Yeah?"

"You sure everything's okay?" He asked, and she caught an expression she couldn't read.

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled tightly. "Everything's peachy. Come on Bambi, back to work."

"Lois?"

"Yes?" She replied tersely, on the edge of her patience.

"Could you just stick to calling me Smallville?"

She grinned, about to pin him with another sarcastic comment but the look in his eyes stopped her. Pursing her lips together and cursing his farm boy charm, she nodded. "Sure thing Smallville."

She walked back into the barn and stopped to survey her surroundings, everything was coming together nicely. She might just be able to pull this off yet. Letting out a sigh, she checked her watch and then brought her radio up to her mouth.

"Mother Goose to Baby Bear, Mother Goose to Baby Bear, come in Baby Bear."

"You know, I'm getting married today, shouldn't I at least get bumped up to Papa Bear?" Jimmy said as he walked in the side door, grinning. She rolled her eyes and walked away only to have him grab her arm to stop her walking under a ladder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we don't need to jinx my big day." Lois headed over to the table in the centre and started to arrange the golden orange flowers into order.

"You seem a little twitchy there Jimmy, butterflies in your stomach starting the do the rumba yet?"

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's a little twitchy, what's going on with you today?"

"For your own safety, I won't answer that question, but feel free to answer mine. You nervous?"

"Not at all, well the only thing I'm nervous about is seeing Chloe before the ceremony. It's bad luck."

Lois stopped and glanced at him. "What about the whole, till death do us part, part? That's gotta be nerve-wracking."

Jimmy smiled softly. "Well when you pick the right person, there's no need for wedding day jitters."

Lois regarded him thoughtfully for a second and then picked up her notepad and moved around him. "Good answer Jimbo."

"You know, speaking of the right person, since you don't have a plus-one tonight, I'd like you to meet one of my friends."

Lois sighed, she so wasn't in the mood to be set up with one of Jimmy's cohorts. It was bad enough that she was living with a guy she had feelings for but couldn't tell him, she didn't need to add humiliation to the list as well.

"Name's Clark Kent. You heard of him?" Lois rolled her eyes, when was Jimmy going to give up on this?

"Put away your bow and arrow Cupid, that bumbling tadpole is not…" She whirled around to face him. "My prince charming."

"Well maybe you just need to jump his lily pad and plant one on him." Jimmy grinned.  
"Come on, I've seen the way you two look at each other." She hadn't been that obvious, had she?

Lois rolled her eyes at him again. "You need to get your eyesight checked Olsen, Clark doesn't like me…" She turned back to the table. "He likes…driving me crazy."

"Flirtation 101 Lane, I mean that's what a guy does when he's into a girl."

Hating herself for allowing Jimmy's words to stir something inside her, Lois turned back to him, unable to help the small, hopeful smile that crept up her face. "Really?"

"Trust me, Lois and Clark would be great together. I feel it in my gut."

They really would, but Lois couldn't allow herself to get too carried away with that thought. It couldn't lead to anything good.

"Well, take some ex-lax and get over it." She replied, needing to keep up the pretence. She couldn't have Jimmy thinking that she was into Clark and she hated feeling like a school girl whose friend had just told her a guy was crushing on her.

Jimmy laughed and handed her the suit he was carrying. "Okay well I'm gonna go and practice my vows, when you see Mr Right will you give him this?"

She took it from him. "Okay."

"Thank you."

She stared at the suit he'd handed her, bringing it up to eye level and she couldn't help but picture him in it. He would look gorgeous she knew. Before she knew what she was doing, she lifted her hand and touched the left side of the jacket, right where his heart would be if he were wearing it.

A blissful smile appeared as she thought about what Jimmy had said. He'd always been on the Clark and Lois bandwagon and never faltered. Maybe he saw something that Lois didn't see. After all he was a guy, and guys knew how other guys thought, didn't they?

Her smile immediately fell when she spotted a camera in her line of sight and the smiling, no, grinning face of Jimmy's friend.

"Hey!" She lunged forward, grabbing the camera from him. "If you don't get that camera out of my face I'm gonna ring your bell buddy."

* * *

Clark entered the house in a daze, the chefs having to work around him in the kitchen as he stood motionless. His meeting with Lois had left him feeling a little strange. When he'd seen her leaning up against the barn his first fear had been that maybe she'd seen him moving the tractor on his own.

But then that gave way to the thought that maybe she had blacked out again. In his concern for her, he'd failed to notice how close he'd gotten and when his head had collided with hers, he felt bad for hurting her. But none of those feelings matched up to the one when he looked into her eyes, too stunned for a moment to actually say anything.

Her tongue had absently licked across her bottom lip and Clark found himself wanting to replace it with his. He had wanted to kiss her. He knew that much, but what he didn't know was why he hadn't done it. There was nothing stopping him, they were both single and both adults, but he wasn't naïve enough to think that something like that wouldn't change their relationship. Because it would. And he wasn't sure he wanted to lose the friendship he had with her.

For all of her faults, Lois Lane was an incredible friend and he never wanted to do anything to jeopardise that. With that thought in mind, he'd stepped back. And then the shutters came down and she was back to business, Clark didn't know what he was supposed to say.

These feelings he had were definitely scary, they seemed to get stronger each day and he wondered how he had never noticed them before. Or were they new? He didn't know anymore. All he knew was that they were there.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

"How did you know Jimmy was the one?" Lois asked her younger cousin as they stood in Clark's loft, admiring Chloe's dress.

Chloe tilted her head and smiled at her. "Lois, don't worry. When you meet your super stud, you'll know." Did Chloe know that she knew about Clark? Nah, she couldn't.

"I don't know, I don't think that whole thing is for me." She replied, flippantly.

"What whole thing? Love?" Chloe looked surprised. "Lois, do you really think that there isn't someone out there for you?"

Lois shrugged her shoulders. "Face it Chlo, it just isn't for some people. I may very well end up being one of those women who are so career driven that they don't have time to find Mr Right."

"Lois, look at me." When she did, Chloe took both of her hands. "You don't find something like this, it finds you, whether you want it to or not. I know for a fact that there is someone out there for you. Maybe…Mr Right is a lot closer than you think."

Before Lois could ask her what she meant by that, Chloe's cell phone started ringing. Her smile faded as she glanced at it.

"Aren't you gonna get that?"

Chloe shook her head and silenced her phone.

"What's going on Chloe?"

Chloe let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know if I should tell you this today of all days."

Suddenly serious, Lois focused on her cousin. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

Chloe hesitated, wondering if she should tell Lois. Eventually she sighed and said. "There's this guy that I've been hanging out with lately."

Lois' froze, she hadn't…

"No it's not like that," Chloe said, heading her off before she could start. "He was helping me with some of my Isis clients, he's meteor infected but he's so good with the kids so he's been a lot of help to me. But…he's um…he says he's in love with me. Last week…" She paused, closing her eyes. "Last week, he kissed me and told me that he wasn't going to let me marry the wrong guy."

"So…are you saying you have feelings for this guy?" Lois asked carefully.

Chloe shook her head, the truth shining in her eyes. "No, not at all. Well, maybe as a friend. He's a great guy but…"

"But?"

"All I want, is to walk down that aisle and marry the man I love."

"And you're so sure that Jimmy is the one?"

Chloe frowned but smiled. "Of course he is. When you love someone, you just know, and with Jimmy, I know. He's all I want Lois."

Lois pulled her into a hug, careful not to wrinkle her dress. "Then let's go do it cuz." 

* * *

Clark fumbled with the cufflinks in his sleeves, trying desperately to get them to go in right. But they wouldn't go, and he had no idea what he was doing. Sighing, he let his arms fall down to his sides, well at least he'd managed to get his tie on straight, he thought to himself.

Standing in front of the full length mirror in the front sitting room, he studied his appearance. The suit he was wearing fitted him perfectly, he felt comfortable enough, but there was a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach and he couldn't figure out what it was. It was like his body knew something, but his mind wasn't able to figure it out.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and then Lois' voice, rushed and slightly breathless, came out.

"Smallville, chop-chop, let's go. We can't have a wedding without the escort to give the bride away."

Clark walked through to greet her but the words died on his lips as he looked up. There, standing about halfway down the stairs, stood the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The orange dress she was wearing made her complexion glow, giving her a sun-kissed look. Her hair was delicately styled and her hazel eyes…oh her eyes…they were shining as she glanced down at him.

He couldn't help himself, couldn't stop his eyes from travelling the entire length of her slender body as she stood before him and he noticed the flushed look on her face as she did the same to him.  
Abruptly, his mind flashed back to the first time he'd seen Lois all dressed up in a beautiful dress. Senior Prom.

"_So, how do I look?_" He heard her voice, clear as a bell. As if he were back in that time, the memory feeling a little _too_ real. Even though a part of him had known that it wasn't really Lois, he had clearly been attracted to what he saw.

And Clark could actually see himself, the way he reacted, everything as if it were happening right in front of him. He watched as he cleared his throat and spoke to Lois nervously. Man, the attraction had definitely been there from an early stage. Why had he not noticed that? Oh yeah, Lana.

_"Uh…uh…looks like you're going to the prom_."

"_I am, and you're taking me_."

Clark watched everything with a renewed interest, seeing things clearly for the first time in years. He was aware of Lois clearing her throat to get his attention, but it wasn't coming from the Lois in his vision. Slowly, he looked up and saw her looking at him curiously, as the memory faded from his mind, Lois' words echoing in his ears.

_"Anything's possible Clark. Anything_."

The room seemed to tilt for a split second and a flash of green light went off in his eyes. Then, inside his head, a voice, so quiet it was almost a whisper, said. "_Look deep within yourself, trust your instincts_." It wasn't a voice he recognised but he had a feeling that it was the hypnotist. He shook his head to erase the spaced out feeling, and glanced up.

_Wow_, he thought to himself as his eyes gave Lois the once over yet again, but her answering blush made him afraid that he'd said it out loud. She cleared her throat and nodded.

"Looks like you're ready." She said softly.  
_  
Ready for what exactly_? He thought to himself. Suddenly uncomfortable with where his mind was heading, Clark fumbled with his cuffs again. "I uh, have it all under control except for these cufflinks. They were my dad's and I've never had to put them on before."

Lois gently walked down the rest of the stairs, tucking the items in her hand under her arm as she spoke. "Well I guess you don't have much need for cufflinks when you have a whole closet of flannel shirts huh farmer John?" She teased but it seemed forced, the air around them thick with an uncomfortable tension.

"Big city boy, let me give you a lesson." She grabbed his wrist and held it in front of her, and Clark couldn't help but notice how the simple action brought his body in close to hers. Had she noticed it too? While she talked, his eyes roamed over her hair, her face…she was…

"…sticks up straight and then it just, slides right in."

They both froze, her words hanging in the air. She glanced up at him and he could see how mortified she was at her slip of the tongue but was hiding it well. She smiled and thrust a box into his hands.

"The ring, you can give that to Jimmy when the Minister signals and here are his vows," She handed him a piece of white card. "In case he forgets."

Lois turned away, flipping open her notepad and jotting something down to get her nerves under control. What had that been about? She hated that things had come to this between her and Clark, she wanted to go back to the days where their bantering came easy and everything was so light hearted and friendly. Except she couldn't, because that would mean that her feelings would be gone and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

She had tried all day to be her usual nonchalant self around him, but when he'd given Chloe a flower that he'd kept for years, her something borrowed, and told her that he never threw away good memories, another self imposed wall had come crashing down. They had been falling all day, and she wasn't able to stop it.

After her conversation with Chloe earlier, she now knew that what she felt for Clark, wasn't a simple attraction. No, it went much deeper than that.

Lois shook her head as she scribbled in her pad, Chloe's words reverberating through her head. How would she know who was 'the one' for her? Was it Clark? Chloe had been so adamant that Jimmy was her soul mate, but how could she be so sure? How could anyone be sure?

"It's really hard for me…to put my feelings into words." Clark's voice, so soft, so gentle, came out behind her. "But from the moment we met, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

Lois couldn't believe her ears, had he really just said that? She turned, a smile lighting her face until she saw that he wasn't even looking at her.

"Jimmy's vows…" He paused when he looked up, a frown appearing on his face. "They're really sweet."

Of course, he wouldn't really be saying those kinds of things to her. And she was sure that she probably would've freaked out if he'd meant what he said. When they first met he couldn't stand her, probably still couldn't. No, he cared about her, that much she was sure on. But his first reaction sure as hell hadn't been that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Back then, that would've been more of a curse than a blessing.

Realising that he was staring and she was saying nothing, she quickly threw him a smile. "Yeah, he's a regular Cyrano."

He stared at her for a few moments, his eyes unnerving her in their intensity, but thankfully, she was rescued by Jimmy's friend, interrupting them to get a testimonial. She plastered on a grin and turned to the camera. 

* * *

As a round of applause filled the barn, Clark watched as Jimmy dipped Chloe and leaned down for a kiss. They were now officially husband and wife. Clark was happy for them, they deserved this. After everything he and Chloe had been through over the years, he wanted to see her happy in her life.

He milled around, talking to a few people here and there but his mind was busy going over what had happened on the staircase earlier. And outside the barn. And in his kitchen. So many opportunities that he'd missed and he was now starting to regret them. Her laughter caught his attention and he looked around the room, his eyes searching her out.

He frowned as he spotted her next to the food table, an empty plate in hand as she laughed at something the guy in front of her had said. Clark felt something surge up within him, something strong and he tried to push it back down. He had no right to be jealous, Lois wasn't his.

He saw the guy put a hand on Lois' arm and his feet were moving before he even had time to process his reaction.

"Hey Clark." Chloe's voice stopped him. She smiled and beckoned him forward with a finger. "Time to boogie"

Clark smiled and took Chloe into his arms, swaying softly to the music as he stared into his best friend's eyes.

"It's weird isn't it?" She chuckled.

"A little. I can't believe you're married."

"Me neither but I have never been so happy Clark. It's such an amazing feeling, I'm finally with the man I'm supposed to be with." She glanced over at Jimmy, who was now dancing with Lois. "I think you can relax now."

Clark frowned. "What do you mean?" Chloe nodded her head towards Jimmy and Lois and Clark's frown deepened in confusion.

"Lois is safe from the clutches of the guy you looked like you wanted to pummel." She giggled, making Clark feel slightly embarrassed. Had he been that transparent?

"Oh yeah, it's that obvious Clark. You like my cousin." Chloe said, it wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Clark opened his mouth to deny it, but no words came.

"I gotta say it is a little bit of a surprise but no real shock. Lois has always had an effect on you."

"Yeah, that effect was annoyance, anger, even sometimes murderous intent." He joked.

She swatted his arm. "Oh stop it, you've always been attracted to her and you know it. Deep down, on some level,"

"Now you're being ridiculous." Clark scoffed, but his earlier memory came back to haunt him. He had always noticed her.

Chloe's brows rose. "Oh really?" She shook her head. "Man, this is gonna be harder than I thought."

"What is?" Clark asked, but Chloe was saved from having to answer as the song came to an end and Jimmy appeared next to them.

"Okay CK, my turn to dance with my wife."

Clark smiled and released Chloe into the waiting arms of her new husband. Watching as they danced away from him, Clark smiled softly, wondering if he would ever have what they had. Glancing to his right, he saw Lois standing on the sidelines watching the happy couple. Her eyes caught his and she smiled, an uncomfortable expression crossing her face as the tones of the romantic music surrounded them.

"Guess I can give these well heeled puppies a rest." She started walking towards him, past him and Clark knew he couldn't just let her walk away. Something inside him wanted her to stay and he knew it was now or never. He wheeled around and grabbed her hand, stopping her. Her eyes flared as she looked down at their hands. He smiled and nodded his head towards the dance floor.

As she moved towards him and settled against him, Clark had a fleeting thought that she fit perfectly in his arms. Even though she was holding herself a little rigid in his grasp. Slowly, he started swaying them gently, breathing her perfume deep into his chest.

He wanted to hold her closer, to press her against his chest and lay his cheek against her hair, but he didn't want to push his luck. He was surprised that she'd even agreed to dance with him.

As a giggling couple pushed past them to get to the dance floor, Lois' body lurched into Clark's and he had to grasp her arms to keep her upright. Distractedly, he nodded when they muttered an apology and then he looked back at Lois. His hand was still wrapped around hers as she stepped back.

She looked as if she were ready to bolt at any second and he knew he had to do something, anything to stop that from happening. Leaning in, he closed the gap between them, noticing a flash of panic in her eyes as he did so.

Lost in the moment, Clark's eyes drifted down to her lips, so full and soft, and then back up to her eyes. Her eyes narrowed as she read his face and then she looked at him and he felt his heart flip in his chest.

Her eyebrows flickered up, and a vulnerable expression appeared that he'd never seen on her before, as if asking if this was what he wanted. His face softened, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly, giving her the answer.

As the music carried on in the background, Clark was aware of only one thing. The woman in his arms. Leaning his head down, he brushed his lips across hers, softly at first, testing the waters. When she didn't pull away, his resolve was strengthened and he pressed against her lips a little firmer.

One of her hands came up to cup his face as she lost herself in his kiss, and both of his arms wrapped themselves firmly around her waist, pulling her closer until she was moulded against him. That soft voice spoke up again. "_Trust your instincts_." It said, and so…he did.

He closed his eyes and licked across her bottom lip, the fire within him burning stronger when her mouth parted and his tongue slipped inside.

"No way." Chloe's shocked voice yelled out, but Clark was too far gone to notice her words.

While his tongue danced in a delicious battle with Lois' he became aware of the sudden still in the room. Everyone had gone quiet and the music had stopped. He pulled back reluctantly, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked, stepping forward to talk to the man who had appeared in the doorway. His clothes were all dishevelled and he looked a mess, like he hadn't slept for days. He was staring at her with wide, red-rimmed eyes, and Clark felt a sudden chill run through him. This could not be good.

"I told you Chloe, I love you." Those were the only words he spoke before he pulled something from behind his back and then the air was filled with the sounds of gunshots and screaming.

Clark moved fast, towards the crazed man he knew as Davis, a friend of Chloe's who had been helping her at Isis but he couldn't super speed, there were too many people about. But in the chaos, he lost sight of him as people began scrambling over each other trying to get to the doors.

He glanced back, saw Lois run over to Chloe and Jimmy and then he saw him. As a fresh round of bullets penetrated the walls of the barn and smashed everything in sight, Clark lunged forward, tackling him to the ground.

"Get off me! CHLOE!" He screamed, writhing under Clark's massive frame. "How could you do this to me!"

Clark looked around, most of the guests were now gone but there were a few that had been caught in the crossfire and he had to help them, so he reached up and tapped the guy on the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Did anyone call the police?" Someone asked, though Clark could hear sirens fast approaching so someone must have. He stood up and kicked the gun away from Davis.

"Clark!" He heard Chloe's voice calling him from the back of the barn, cracking as she cried. Rushing past a few overturned tables, he saw her sitting on the floor admidst the broken glass, Jimmy at her side, looking worried. His heart clenched painfully in his chest as he looked down.

Lois was lying in Chloe's arms, her eyes closed and…there was blood seeping through her dress from a wound that Chloe was trying desperately to cover with her hands. He fell to his knees at her side, took her hand in his and checked for a pulse.

"Lois? Lois!" There was a pulse, but it was faint.

"Clark, I can't stop it!" Chloe cried hysterically. "There's so much blood."

As the sirens blared outside, the sheriff and a couple of deputies came running in, guns drawn. They stopped just inside the door, assessing the situation calmly and Clark knew that he wasn't going to be able to get Lois to the hospital without someone seeing him. He swallowed hard, knowing that he was going to have to wait for the ambulance to arrive.

Which didn't take long and ten minutes later, he was sitting in the back of one, racing towards the medical centre. His mind was still reeling from the events, he just couldn't believe it was happening.

One moment he was enjoying himself at his best friend's wedding, kissing the woman he cared for deeply, the next she was lying on the ground with a bullet in her stomach. It all happened so fast that it made his head spin.

He squeezed her hand gently, reassuring her that he was still with her, that he wouldn't leave her.

"Hang on Lois," He said to her, his voice breaking. "Just hang on, please."


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

Clark paced the waiting room of the Smallville Medical Centre restlessly. It had been over two hours since Lois had been taken into surgery and there was still no news.

"Are you okay?" Chloe's voice, so weary and soft broke through his super hearing. He had been listening in on Lois' operation.

He stopped and glanced down at his best friend, sitting next to her new husband still in her wedding dress that was stained with her cousin's blood, she looked so lost. He shrugged his shoulders, he didn't have an answer for her. He was scared, he could very well lose Lois and the thought of never seeing his…friend again, terrified him.

"She'll be okay you know guys." Jimmy piped up, squeezing his wife's shoulders reassuringly. She smiled sadly at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Lois is strong, she won't let this beat her."

"Even the strongest person can be stopped by a bullet Jimmy. Lois isn't invincible." Clark replied darkly. He couldn't share in Jimmy's optimism, not yet. He saw Chloe flinch at his words and instantly regretted them.

"Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay Clark." Chloe said, getting up. She patted him lightly on the shoulder and began walking away. "I'm gonna go find a nurse and see if I can find out what's going on, she's been in there hours." Jimmy followed her, giving Clark a disapproving glance as he passed him.

Clark blew out a heavy breath and sat down, dropping his head into his hands. Great, he'd just upset Chloe even further on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.

Instead of dancing and laughing and enjoying her wedding day, she was sitting in the hospital in a blood stained wedding gown, worried out of her mind. And he wasn't helping the situation by being so negative. But he couldn't help it.

He looked down at his suit, there were a few bullet holes in his jacket sleeve so he took it off and spread it across his legs. But the sight of Lois' blood on his white shirt made him cringe. As he pressed his fingers into his temples to ease the growing pressure there, he felt a strange sensation come over him.

He felt a little disoriented and when he glanced up, he saw that he was no longer in the hospital. He was in a long, dark tunnel. Wait, he recognised this place. Reeves Dam. But what…?

Lois was there, her voice filtering through to him as he rounded the corner and saw her sitting up, looking very confused. There was blood pooled all around her on the floor and from her stomach. He remembered her telling him that she'd been stabbed and didn't remember what happened to her afterwards. He'd been too caught up in what had happened to Chloe and to Lana to really pay attention to what she'd told him.

He hadn't known that it had been that bad. Chloe was sitting against the wall opposite, unconscious, deathly pale and he knew why. She'd healed Lois. Her meteor power had worked by taking whatever had happened to that person, into herself.

And Chloe had 'died' so that meant that…Lois had actually died when she'd been stabbed. A sudden crushing feeling overtook him, he had almost lost her back then. What if Chloe had never found her? He found it hard to imagine what his life would've been like without Lois there, even though there were only feelings of friendship at the time, she had been an important part of his life.

He shook his head, trying to get that thought out. He felt bad that he hadn't paid more attention to Lois, she was his friend after all, but Chloe had just been pronounced dead and Lana had died. His head had been all over the place. And in the aftermath, he'd forgotten all about it.

But why was he remembering this scene, he hadn't been there. Watching as Lois slowly crawled her way over to Chloe, he knew nothing of these events, only what Lois had told him after they'd met at the hospital. But why was he remembering it now?

A sudden beeping noise cut through his vision and he snapped his head up. The sounds of nurses and doctors running around in a rush reached his ears, paddles were being brought out. _No_!

He shot out of his chair and stormed down the hallway.

"Clark!" Chloe's voice stopped him. "Where are you…?" She stopped as he turned to face her, her eyes growing wide at his expression.

She broke into a run. "No, please tell me she's not…"

"She's coding, they're losing her." He murmured numbly, as she got closer.

"Oh my God. No, oh no…I can't…" Chloe's breath started coming in short bursts and soon enough Clark noticed that she was having trouble getting a breath in at all. "I can't…lose her…Clark…"

"Hey, Chloe…look at me. Calm down…" She was having a major panic attack and he had no idea what to do. His urge to get to Lois was still warring against his nature to take care of Chloe right now.

"She can't die Clark." He held her in his arms, rocking her gently, wondering where the hell Jimmy had disappeared to. He guided her back over to the chairs, his ears still listening to the drama going on in the theatre whilst also trying to focus on Chloe.

"Chloe, breath, please, you're turning blue." He sat down and pulled her into a loose hug. "Just take a deep breath in…" He breathed in through his nose, getting her to do the same and blew it out slowly through his mouth. She repeated his actions, her panic filled eyes locked on his, breathing fast.

"That's it, easy…take slow deep breaths." His head turned in the direction of the theatre again.

"What? Is she…oh God…is she…?"

"No, she's okay Chloe." He replied, sighing in relief. "She's stable. They got her back."  
Chloe nodded and continued to take deep breaths in and out.

"What happened?" Jimmy asked as he came round the corner, immediately heading over to his wife. Clark released her into his arms and stood up, still listening for any signs of change. He could hear them talking, Lois' vitals were returning to normal and her surgery was almost over.

He looked back down at Chloe, who was watching him intently. He gently nodded to her and he saw the tension immediately ease out of her shoulders as she slumped against Jimmy.

"Sorry, I uh…had a little panic attack." Chloe said to Jimmy.

"Well, are you okay now?" He asked, cupping her cheek so that he could look into her eyes.

Chloe nodded and Clark resumed his pacing, feeling like his own heart had been put through the wringer. He'd never been so scared before. Now that the drama was winding down a little, he found himself thinking about the vision he'd had before. What did it mean? It certainly wasn't one of his memories. So what was it?

"Where were you?" He asked, looking over at Jimmy.

"I went to the bathroom. And I figured if we're gonna be here for a while, I might as well get us something to eat. We didn't get a chance to eat at the…yeah…" He trailed off, not wanting to bring that particular subject up at the moment.

"Thanks but I'm not hungry." Clark replied. Chloe shook her head too when she was offered something. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders and placed the food back down on the chair next to him.

Silence engulfed them for a while, with Chloe nestled against Jimmy and Clark still pacing, growing more anxious by the minute. He didn't know how long they'd stayed so quiet, with none of them talking but it felt like hours. He walked over to the window and glanced out at the night sky, the full moon shining brightly, casting a glow over the parking lot.

He didn't know how late it was, but guessed that it was only early in the evening. Hopefully he would be able to see Lois before visiting hours were finished.

"Mrs Olsen?" A doctor wearing dark blue scrubs was walking towards them, taking his surgeon's cap off as he walked, revealing a head of thick blonde hair.

"How is she?" Chloe asked, darting out of her chair to meet him. Clark and Jimmy both stood behind her, waiting.

The doctor ran a hand through his thick hair, he looked exhausted. "Miss Lane is stable now. She did give us quite a scare for moment there, she started coding but we got her back. Her vitals are all normal and the surgery was a success. We managed to repair the damage that the bullets caused both to her abdomen and her leg,"

Clark closed his eyes, hearing this was worse than he'd thought it would be. He hadn't known about the bullet in her leg, he'd only seen the blood coming from her stomach.

"However, the bullet went through her femur so we've had to put in a temporary plate to hold it together until it heals but other than that, and barring she doesn't need any corrective surgery in the near future, she's going to be just fine. Though she is going to have some work ahead of her, physiotherapy and such, but she's going to be okay." The doctor smiled warmly, reaching out to give Chloe's shoulder a quick squeeze.

"Thank God." Chloe breathed, leaning back against Jimmy for support. "Can we see her?"

"The nurses are getting her settled in the ICU, she'll stay there for the next twenty four hours to be monitored. The anaesthetist should've brought her out of the anaesthetic by now but I can only let one of you in at a time."

Clark and Chloe glanced at each other. "I'm sorry but it's just hospital policy, the ICU is not a place for a lot of visitors."

"I understand that." Chloe replied, keeping her gaze on Clark as he dropped his eyes to the floor.

He looked so sad, she'd never seen him so worked up about her cousin before. She knew Lois and him were friends but considering the lip lock she'd seen them share earlier today, something more was brewing.

She wanted to see Lois so badly, but she sensed that Clark's need to confirm that she was really okay was more intense than hers. Heck he was probably blaming himself right now for not being able to save her.

She knew the way his mind worked, he was no doubt feeling guilty that he hadn't seen the bullets heading for Lois and jumped in the way. That was just Clark Kent.

With a small smile, she turned back to the doctor. "It's okay, Clark's going in to see her first anyway."

Clark's eyes snapped up to hers. "No Chloe, you're her family…"

"And I can wait to see her, I know she's okay so I can relax a little now." She moved over and hugged Clark. "Just tell her I love her, and I'll be seeing her in a little while."  
She stepped back, smiling broadly for the first time in hours. "Go."

Clark nodded. "Thank you." He whispered and then turned to the doctor who smiled at him.

"Okay then, follow me. I'll take you to her."

Clark followed the doctor down the hall, feeling a little nervous although he had no idea why. He'd seen Lois in the hospital before, numerous times since she liked to get herself into trouble so much. But this time was different, because he was different.

It wasn't until he was faced with the prospect of losing her, that he realised just how important she really was to him. That he was tired of being just her friend. He wasn't sure exactly what, but he wanted something more. He wanted her to look at him like she had when they were trapped in that cave in the Phantom Zone.

He wanted her to look at him with love in her eyes instead of annoyance. He wanted to be more than just a co-worker or best friend. With those thoughts in mind, he walked a little faster, eager to get to her room and see for himself that she was okay.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

He was led into a small side room on the ICU ward. It was so quiet in there, the only sounds coming from the monitors that were encircling her bed. Clark's breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell on the lifeless form in the bed.

"She'll be out of it for a little while, sleeping mostly, but talk to her, let her know you're here. I'll leave you alone for now, but I'll be back to check on her later." The doctor said.

Clark nodded without looking at him and moved over to the side of the bed as he heard the door shut quietly behind him. He spent a few moments just looking at her, she looked so small, so fragile. Nothing like the loud mouthed, brassy cohort he was used to. And he didn't like it.

Her hair was neatly brushed and her face was cleaned of all the make up she'd been wearing earlier and she was looking rather pale. There was a pipe going across her face, running just under her nose. An oxygen pipe. He glanced down at her leg, there were metal pins sticking out of her left thigh at all angles and he winced as he realised that she was going to be in a lot of pain when she woke up. This was not his Lois.

Just hours ago he had been holding her, her soft lips on his. Her breath on his face and the bright shine of her eyes as they gazed at him. And now… He snorted, thinking back to when she'd been possessed by Faora, he'd had the same thought then. His Lois? She wasn't his. But a little voice spoke up in the back of his mind, telling him that he wanted her to be.

He moved a chair across, placed it close to her bed and sat down. He had no idea what to say to her. Where did he start? After their kiss, everything seemed so different now. The dynamic of their relationship had shifted into unfamiliar territory.

"Hey Lois…" He began, but the croak in his voice made him pause. After clearing his throat, he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Chloe and Jimmy are still in the waiting room, she told me to tell you that she loves you and she'll be seeing you in a little while. She's really worried about you Lois, we all are."

He sighed, dropping back against the chair. He felt ridiculous, not knowing what to say. He squeezed his eyes shut and ran a hand through his hair. It was then he realised how badly he was shaking. "I'm so sorry Lois, I should never have let this happen. But I didn't…I didn't know. I thought you were safe, I never realised that you'd been hit. I should've stopped that."

Unable to keep his legs still, Clark stood up and walked over to the window. "You're going to be okay Lois, because you have to be." He shook his head and snorted. "You know it's funny, I've seen you in the hospital before, but not once had I ever been so scared that you weren't going to come out. You really scared me this time Lois, I thought I was going to lose you before I even had a chance to… tell you how I really feel."

He looked over at her, her breathing was slow and steady, her chest falling and rising slightly. She couldn't hear him. "When we kissed earlier, it was…I've never felt anything like that before. It was like everything around me disappeared and I was only aware of you. I didn't want it to end."

Clark had no clue where these words were coming from, they weren't normally things he would say to Lois, but the fact that she was unconscious was spurring him on. He felt a little like a coward and wondered if he'd ever have the courage to tell her face to face how much she meant to him.

"But I liked it. I liked it a lot. I guess the only question now is, where does this leave us?"

He shook his head. "I'm gonna take care of you Lois. I don't care what you say, how many arguments you put up, I am going help you get back on your feet."

He walked back to his chair and sat down, hesitantly reaching out to take her hand. He pulled back slightly, but then tentatively closed his hand over hers. It was warm and soft, and as he linked his fingers through hers, he noticed her eyes flicker slightly.

As he gazed at her face, it seemed to waver like a picture on a bad tv screen. He blinked a few times and tried to focus, maybe he was tired. But when he looked back, it was the same only this time it was the whole image. The room seemed to darken, as if the lights had gone out and there was a glare of red and blue lights flashing across the room from outside.

_"I think I died and went to heaven._" A voice said, Lois' voice. Clark frowned and rubbed at his eyes.

He saw with crystal clear clarity, himself reaching out to clasp Lois' hand as his lips curved into a smile.

"_Well then I'm glad you're back_."

He remembered this, it had been just after Zod was released from the Phantom Zone and possessed Lex. Lois had been in a jet with his mom, going to Washington. The plane had been hijacked by Brainiac and had crashed en route to the fortress. She'd been hurt pretty badly, but he had no doubt that what she'd seen had been the fortress. She'd thought she was in heaven. He knew different but made no attempt to dissuade her from her illusion.

He saw her frown and at the same time, both of them pulled their hands away from the other. But he'd meant what he'd said. He had been glad that she was back, and that she was okay.

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, dispelling the image. What on earth was happening to him?

* * *

Outside in the waiting room, Chloe and Jimmy sat quietly on the chairs, hugging each other.

"I'm sorry this has been an awful day." Chloe said quietly. Jimmy peered down at the top of her head, which was nestled in the crook of his neck.

"What are you talking about? I mean, madman with the gun aside, this has been the best day I've ever had." She looked up at him, brows raised. "It really has Chloe. I got to marry the woman of my dreams today, how could that be considered an awful day?"

"But I brought that madman into our lives, he helped me at Isis, I just never thought he was capable of something like this." She shook her head slowly. "He hurt so many people. And my own cousin was fighting for her life because of him."

"Hey, come on, you can't blame yourself for the actions of others. Lois will be okay. You heard the doc."

"But she's not out of the woods yet Jimmy. Anything could happen in the next twenty-four hours." Chloe shuddered as she blew out a breath. "If anything happens to her, I swear to God…"

"Hey, nothing's going to happen." Jimmy said, his tone a litle stronger. He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head.

"I hope you're right."

They were silent for a few minutes, each absorbing the strength of the other.

"Clark seems pretty worried about her." Jimmy commented and Chloe knew he was just fishing, he'd always had a thing about getting Lois and Clark together. But lately, with the way they'd been acting around each other since Clark had started at the Planet, she wondered if maybe Jimmy had been right all along. There was definitely something there.

"Well sure he is, he's Clark." She replied, not willing to admit defeat in their little war just yet.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Come on Chlo, you can't tell me you didn't see the way they've been looking at each other all day. All through the ceremony Clark could barely take his eyes off her."

"Well Lois is very attractive."

"And that kiss? Wowza, is all I have to say."

Chloe couldn't help herself, despite the awful situation they were in, she actually laughed. "Wowza?"

"Yeah, it's my new word. So anyway, I thought we were either going to have to find them a room or hose them down." He winced. "Sorry, poor choice of words."

"It's okay." She replied. She pulled away from him and stood up, twisting her neck from side to side to relieve the kinks. When she glanced to her left, she was surprised to see someone walking towards her.

"Oliver?"

"Hey Chloe, Jimmy." He nodded. "How is she?"

"She just got out of surgery." Chloe replied, noting the concern on his face. But there was something in his eyes that caught her attention, he was angry, and…terrified?

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I just got back from the police station. The police are charging Davis with attempted murder."

"Good, he deserves it." Chloe replied, crossing her arms in front of her.

"So is she okay?" He asked again.

"I think so. She's not out of the woods yet but she made it through the surgery so the doctor thinks her chances are good. She was hit in the abdomen and the leg but they've managed to fix the damage."

Oliver let out a curse. "When can we see her?"

"Well Clark's in with her now but visiting hours will be over in about half an hour. So probably not until tomorrow."

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Why is Clark the first one to go in and not you?"

"Oliver, what's with all the questions? I let him go first. Are you sure you're okay?" Chloe replied, he was acting a little too strangely and she wondered why. Obviously he was upset about Lois but she could sense that there was something more to it than that.

"Uh, yeah I'm okay. Listen I'll come by tomorrow to see her okay? When you see her, tell her…" He sighed. "Tell her that I'm thinking of her." He said, his tone defeated, as if he wanted to say something else.

"I will. Thanks Ollie."

He nodded once more at her and then headed back the way he'd come in.

"What was that all about?" Jimmy asked once he was gone.

Chloe stood watching the door flapping closed at the end of the hall. "I don't know."

* * *

"Clark?" His head popped up at the knocking on the door. Chloe's head was peeking through. "The nurses wanted me to tell you that its almost time to leave."

He nodded but didn't reply as his eyes fell back to Lois. Chloe walked over to the bed, standing on the side opposite him. She reached out and touched her cousin's forehead and he wished that he could do that too. He wanted to, but felt he was safer just holding her hand.

"Hey Lo," Chloe said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. "What are you playing at huh? Scaring me like that. Has she woken up at all yet?" She asked and it took him a few moments to realise that she'd directed the question at him.

"No not yet. Her eyes keep flickering though, like she's about to, so maybe soon. I don't wanna let her wake up alone Chloe."

"We can't stay Clark, this is the ICU ward, they'll be monitoring her closely. She won't be alone." Chloe said, her voice soft.

He glanced up at her and saw that she was watching him with sad eyes. He inwardly cursed, Lois was her cousin, her family, and he'd been sitting in here monopolising most of the time available for Chloe to spend with her . He should've let Chloe come in earlier but he hadn't been able to get his feet to move towards the door.

"It's not enough though. I want her to wake up to a familiar face."

Chloe tilted her head and looked at him. "Clark…" A groaning noise cut her off and both sets of eyes flew to Lois. Her eyes were fluttering, opening and then closing again slowly.

"Lois?" Chloe said, leaning over her.

As Lois' eyes opened fully, Clark's heart began to beat wildly in his chest. She was awake. That had to mean that she was okay, right?

"Lois, can you hear me?" Chloe asked and Lois nodded her head, ever so slightly. She stared up into Chloe's eyes, not even registering that Clark was still holding her hand.

"Why…?" Lois croaked, her throat was obviously sore from the pipe they'd had to put down it in surgery.

"Why what Lo?"

"Honeymoon…why aren't…?" She gave up trying to talk and tried to swallow instead.

"You think I was gonna go anywhere with you lying in here?" Chloe scoffed. "Get real Lo, I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay."

"Am…okay. Go."

"No, and I don't want any arguments. I'm staying in Smallville got it?"

Lois nodded, though Clark could tell she was far from happy about it. Knowing Lois, she was probably feeling bad for getting herself shot and that Chloe hadn't gone on her honeymoon because of it.

"Smallville?" Lois asked, and Clark felt a squeezing sensation in his chest. She was asking for him.

"He's right here Lo…" Chloe replied, nodding her head towards Clark. He sat frozen in place as Lois' head turned slowly and her eyes caught his. Almost immediately, a groggy smile curved her lips, just slightly and he felt himself returning it.

"Hey…" He whispered. _Hey? That's the best you got? _

"Hey." She replied.

They were silent for a few moments, with only the sound of the machines still beeping away beside Lois. But Clark was powerless to tear his eyes away from hers, they pulled him in and he knew it was going to kill him having to leave her in a few minutes. But he knew he had to go, they'd be getting kicked out of here soon.

Sure enough, there was another knock at the door and then a nurse poked her head in. "Guys I'm really sorry but visiting hours are now over."

"Can't we just stay for a little longer?" Clark asked. "She just woke up."

"Doctor McCarthy will be in to check on her in a few minutes but I'm afraid Miss Lane needs her rest." She replied, in a take no nonsense kind of tone. "But you can come back tomorrow morning and visit."

Both Chloe and Clark let out a heavy sigh but then looked over at Lois as she tugged on their hands to get their attention. She smiled, though her eyes were getting heavy again. She was still groggy from the anaesthetic. "Go home. Sleep."

Chloe leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest Lo, we'll be back in the morning." Lois nodded and watched as Chloe walked to the door. Clark however, couldn't seem to get out of his chair. Lois glanced over at him, smiled and nodded.

Deciding to take his chances, Clark leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be back." He promised.

* * *

Two hours later, Lois was fully awake, she couldn't seem to get back to sleep, the pain keeping her from a peaceful slumber. Her body was aching all over and the throbbing in her leg had yet to cease. Maybe she needed more pain meds. She buzzed for a nurse and waited impatiently.

Wriggling to try and get more comfortable was doing her no good, pain shot up from her leg and her stomach any time she moved so she just gave up. A few minutes later, a small blonde haired nurse appeared with a smile and an injection. She gave her some more morphine and then after writing it down in her chart, disappeared again.

Lois closed her eyes, but she just couldn't rest. She was about to buzz again and ask for something to help her sleep when the door opened. A large male frame appeared in the doorway, cast in shadow by the lights behind him out in the hall.

"Clark." She whispered. Her throat was killing her but she was finding it a little easier to speak now that the nurse had given her some pain relief.

Slowly and quietly he moved across the room, taking a seat next to her bed. He looked awful, she thought. Tired and worried. Without thinking, she held her hand out to him and felt a surge of warmth as he took it in his.

"How you feeling?" He asked, his blue eyes studying her intensely.

"I'm okay. I think. Though I feel like I got hit by a truck." She paused to clear her throat then carried on. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

He smiled, sheepishly. "Yeah, but I wanted to come back. I sort of…sneaked in."

She found herself chuckling but when the pain shot through her stomach, she soon stopped. "You'll get into trouble."

"I'll take the risk."

"What will you do if someone comes in?"

"I'll hide." He stated simply.

She had a fleeting thought that he would have no problem moving fast if someone did come in. He could just blur out. Though she was grateful for the sentiment. Truth be told, she hated hospitals, had done ever since her mom had died, so to have him come back to sit with her was nice. But she didn't want him neglecting his blur duties because of her. She could hardly tell him that though so for now, she would just accept his company.

"So what happened to Davis?" She asked and she saw a dark expression appear on his face.

"He's being charged with attempted murder." His voice was thick, almost like he was finding it as hard to speak as she was. "He could've killed you Lois."

"But he didn't. Were there many others injured?"

"A few, but they're all okay. Mostly flesh wounds, I think you got the worst of..." He trailed off, a pained look taking over.

A few minutes passed, with no words being spoken until eventually, Lois couldn't stand it anymore.

"Why did this have to happen Clark?" She asked, her voice becoming uncharacteristically wobbly and she hated the emotion she was showing. "Why do these terrible things keep happening all around us?"

Before she knew it, tears had welled up and she couldn't stop them from building. Though she refused to let them fall. Clark's hand let go of hers and came up to her shoulder. Rubbing gently, he leaned his face in close to hers.

"Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be fine."

"I'm not talking about me. Chloe's wedding day got ruined by that psycho and me being in here hasn't exactly helped. She should be on her honeymoon, not waiting around for me."

"She's your cousin Lois, she wouldn't leave you no matter what. You know you would do the same."

"That's not the point."

He opened his mouth to reply but then closed it again.

"Clark…I was so scared…" She murmured. "I had this dream. No, it was more like a vision. I don't know but I think it might've been when I was in the operating room. It wasn't like an out of body experience or anything like that." She paused, watching his face for any signs that he thought she was crazy.

When he only smiled reassuringly, she carried on. "I was in a tunnel, it was Reeves Dam, back when it broke. I woke up lying on the floor in a pool of my own blood."

She felt him stiffen next to her, but he nodded his head for her to continue. "But the last thing I remember before that was getting stabbed by that security guard. The next thing I know I'm waking up, with no stab wound and Chloe lying unconscious in front of me. Why would I be remembering that?"

"I don't know Lois." He replied, deep in thought.

"But then earlier, I was kinda drifting in and out and I was so sure that I heard your voice. But I couldn't get my eyes to open. It sounded like you were blaming yourself for me being in here. I don't know if you were really here or whether it was my imagination, but I…it kinda made me feel safe."

Clark's hand moved from her shoulder to her face, smoothing some of her hair away from her forehead. It was an incredibly sweet gesture, so naturally, Lois felt uncomfortable.

"Anyway, don't listen to me, I'm sure it was just the drugs or something."

"I was here Lois." He replied, staring straight into her eyes. "I've been here since you were brought out of surgery. I only went home to change my clothes and take care of a few things around the farm and then I came straight back here."

"Why?" The question was blurted out before she could stop it.

He blinked in surprise but then frowned. "I didn't want you to be alone."

"You uh…you _aren't_ blaming yourself are you?" She asked quietly.

He closed his eyes as he replied. "I just keep thinking that if I'd gotten to Davis a little faster, you wouldn't be lying here now. If I'd jumped in the way or something…"

"Then you would've been shot too." She replied, feeling a little bubble of hope in her chest, maybe this little revelation would one day lead to him telling her the truth. To him letting her in.

"But from what I remember, just before I passed out, I saw you tackling him. That was pretty…heroic Smallville."

"I didn't know you'd been shot Lois. I thought you were okay."

His face was so close to hers, and then she remembered what had happened between them at Chloe's wedding earlier. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks and was grateful that it was fairly dark in the room. "Could you get me some water?" She asked, needing a little bit of distance and since she couldn't move, he would have to.

"Sure." He moved around to the other side of her bed where the cabinet was and poured her a glass.

She tried to sit up a little but paid for it as a wave of pain had her flopping back down with a loud wince.

"Hey, don't try to move." He said, bringing the glass up to her lips. Her eyes connected with his as she took a few gentle sips and she didn't know what to make of the expression on his face. Her hairline tingled from where he was holding the back of her head to help her drink and she felt a little light headed, though whether that was from the morphine or him, she didn't know.

When she was done, he returned to his seat and took her hand again. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time.

"Thank you." She said.

"What for?"

"Being here. Coming back, you didn't have to."

He squeezed her hand gently. "I wanted to. I was so scared Lois, I thought you weren't going to make it for a while there." The hand that was holding hers shook so she tightened her grasp on it.

"Come on Smallville," She smiled. "You know you can't get rid of me."

"Good." His voice came out thick and heavy. "Cos I don't want to."


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

Lois awoke the next morning with bells ringing in her head. She could still hear the pops of the gun as it went off. She could still feel the bullet hitting her in the leg and then the stomach, and the pain that followed had been horrific before she'd finally passed out. As she opened her eyes, they fell on the nurse who'd been in her room late last night.

"Morning Lois, how are you feeling?" She asked politely as she wrote something down in her chart.

"Uh, okay I think." Lois' eyes darted to her left, expecting to see an empty chair but instead, she was greeted by the sight of Clark asleep, the upper half of his body draped over her bed. His hair was the only visible thing as his head was buried in the crook of his arm and his other hand was still covering hers.

The nurse chuckled softly. "Seems someone snuck in last night huh?"

"I'm sorry, but he was…"

The nurse waved her hand. "It's okay. I didn't tell anyone. He was asleep when I came in to check on you and he looked so worn out I didn't have the heart to wake him. He's been so worried about you, so I didn't want to send him home." She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "But if anyone asks, he's only just got here okay?"

Lois nodded and smiled, liking this nurse a lot. "Okay, thanks. So what's the verdict, am I staying in here long?"

"Well, your vitals are all back to normal, which is very good considering what you've been through, and you're off the oxygen. So I think it's safe to say that doctor McCarthy will want to move you to the post-op care unit later today."

"And do you know how long I'm likely to be in the hospital?"

The nurse gave her a reproachful look, as if she knew what Lois was getting at. "Lois, you've just come out of major surgery, don't rush things. It's going to take some time to heal."

Lois sighed. "I know, I just…" She glanced at Clark. "I hate hospitals."

"Well they're not a happy place to be I can understand that. But don't worry, we'll have you back on your feet in no time." The nurse, whose name was Jenny, gently patted Lois' hand and then left the room.

Lois stared at the top of Clark's head, his thick hair was in disarray and she had the most intense urge to just run her hand through it and smooth it down. She looked around the room, as if there could be anyone in there to see. Scoffing to herself, she gingerly reached out, and let her fingers drift through his silky locks. His hair was so fine and smooth, it felt lovely between her fingers.

She couldn't believe he'd stayed the whole night. She'd thought that once she'd fallen asleep, he would've left. But apparently he hadn't wanted to. Or had been too tired to, she didn't know. Either way, it was an incredibly nice thing to wake up to. Truth be told, she really didn't want to be alone but she couldn't tell him that.

She blew out a sigh. Man, it was hard enough trying to hide that she knew about the real him without having to worry about hiding her feelings for him too. But if she was honest with herself, really honest, she'd been hiding them a lot longer than even she knew.

There was a light knock on the door and she looked over just as Chloe popped her head in. Quickly snapping her hand back, she studied Chloe. She looked tired and Lois felt bad. This was supposed to be a happy time for her baby cousin. She shouldn't have to be in this place, worrying about her. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. But that was life wasn't it? Unfair and unjust but sometimes you just had to deal with it.

"Morning sleepyhead." Chloe muttered, coming all the way in. She stopped when she saw Clark and Lois saw her eyes widen for a split second in surprise before she composed herself. "He came back."

"Yeah." Lois replied, her throat feeling constricted from all the emotion she was currently feeling.

"How you feeling cuz?" Chloe asked, stepping close to the side of the bed. She took Lois' hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

"Better. I really wish you would…"

"Don't even go there Lo. We've already been through this. I'm not going anywhere until you're out of this place."

"But that could take weeks Chloe. No I'm not having that, you are going on your honeymoon."

Chloe smiled and planted her hands on her hips. "And just who is going to make me? You can't exactly wrestle me onto a plane right now."

"I'll think of a way trust me." Lois smirked.

Chloe chuckled and took a seat next to her bed. "Did you get much sleep last night?"

"I did actually, it was strange, I struggled for the longest time trying to get back to sleep and then when Clark came back, we had a little chat and then I guess I must've dozed off cos the next thing I know, I'm waking up to a nurse standing over me."

Chloe winced. "Was she angry that he sneaked back in?"

"No not at all. She was actually pretty good about it." Lois replied.

Now that she was fully awake, she was aware that her backside was starting to go a little numb from staying in one position too long, so she very slowly tried to move a little to her side. That so wasn't a smart thing to do, as soon as she moved a pain sliced through her leg and through her gut, making her yelp. Clark's head shot up like someone had just let a gun off next to his ear.

"What's wrong?" He demanded, his sleep filled eyes landing on her. "Are you in pain?"

"Clark calm down…" Lois said, patting his hand, he looked so worried, his eyes so full of concern. "I'm fine, I just moved wrong that's all."

He nodded and then shook his head and blinked as if to wake himself up. Then he noticed Chloe.

"Oh hey Chloe, when did you get here?"

"Just now." She replied and Lois caught her watching Clark with a curious expression. What was she thinking? Lois didn't want to know, whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She'd been around Jimmy too much and obviously she was now jumping on the Lois and Clark bandwagon.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Lois nodded and he sighed as if in relief.

"I should uh, probably go and get my chores done." He said quietly, getting up, his hand dropping Lois' as if he'd only just noticed that he was still hanging onto it. She frowned, wondering what that reaction was for.

"You don't have to go on my account." Chloe replied, smiling broadly.

"No it's okay. I need to get some things sorted. But I'll be back later?" He looked at Lois, the last part coming out as more of a question.

"I'd like that." She replied, wondering why she was so nervous around him all of a sudden. _You know why Lane, you kissed the guy before all hell broke loose and now neither of you know where you stand. Talk about awkward. _

As she watched him shuffle towards the door, she couldn't help but feel that his sudden departure had more to do with Chloe showing up than it did farm chores. She knew he could get those done in a few seconds if he really wanted to, so the only other explanation had to be that he didn't want to be with her in front of other people. Which was crazy, they were friends, or used to be anyway. But things had changed now hadn't they?

With a sinking realisation, Lois glanced at his back as he reached for the door handle. He was regretting what they'd shared and didn't know how to tell her. Ever the boy scout, he wouldn't know what to do in a situation like this and she was betting that he was now kicking himself for getting into it in the first place. She couldn't say it was a total surprise, but boy did it hurt.

"I'll see you later ladies." He said, his eyes flickering to hers as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

"What was that all about?" Chloe asked, turning back to Lois.

Lois mustered up a smile from who knew where and said. "Beats me, maybe Smallville isn't a morning person either."

Chloe frowned with a small smile. "Lois he grew up on a farm."

"I know." She replied, knowing that she'd revealed more in those two words than she'd meant to.

"He'll be back later you know." Chloe said gently, and Lois hated the sympathy in her cousin's eyes.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'll be grateful for any visitors I can get in this hellhole."

"Well then you're in luck, Jimmy's coming by later and Oliver said he'd be stopping in."

Lois smiled and hoped that it came out right. "That's great, I'd love to see them." But, she couldn't help thinking that there was really only one person she wanted to visit her later. And he'd just walked out of her room.

* * *

After the nurses had finished getting her settled on the post-op care ward later that morning, Lois was left on her own for a while, and she hadn't been able to stop the images and thoughts of Clark from running unchecked through her mind. It was a slow, silent torture because she didn't know what was going on anymore.

She also wondered why they'd stuck her in one of the private rooms that had obviously been intended for someone else, since their name was on the chart outside the door. As she glanced around, she knew that this was the kind of room that wasn't just handed out, it was paid for, but by whom?

A smile lit her face as she thought that maybe Clark had arranged it, but then she realised that Smallville didn't have that kind of money and frowned in thought. Maybe Chloe…? It had obviously been a quick exchange and she wondered where the person whose room it was had ended up.

A knock at her door broke off her train of thought.

"Come in." She called, not knowing who it could be because Chloe and Jimmy had left her about a half hour ago on her insistence and Clark hadn't been back all morning. It was bad enough that they were stuck in Smallville while they were supposed to be on their honeymoon but that didn't mean that they had to spend all day cooped up in here with her. She had finally managed to persuade Chloe to take Jimmy out for lunch and was planning on taking a nap before any other visitors arrived.

A large bunch of expensive looking flowers entered the room followed by a body and she smiled. But then the flowers were moved and Oliver's smiling face came into view.

"Wow, pleased to see me?" He chuckled, noticing her smile. It faded soon after and he frowned but didn't comment.

"Of course I am Ollie. Are those for me?"

"No they're for the elderly lady down the hall." He said seriously but then his face broke out into a grin as he placed them on the little table overhanging her bed. "Of course they're for you."

"They're beautiful, thank you."

He sat down next to her and linked his hands together on his lap. "So how are you?"

"I'm good, doing really well." She replied, idly picking at the petals of a lavendar coloured rose. She'd never seen them that shade before. But then, she shouldn't have been surprised, Oliver could get pretty much anything he wanted.

A thought hit her. "Did you arrange this room for me?" She blurted, taking him by surprise.

"Nothing gets past you huh? I thought you'd be more comfortable in here. I know you hate hospitals so I didn't think you'd want to share a ward with anyone."

While the gesture was sweet, she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. What he'd just said made her sound arrogant and rude, as if she were better than most of the patients in this place, which she wasn't. But since it had only been done out of consideration for her, and the fact that he knew her that well, she let it go.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. So how are you really Lois?" His shrewd eyes narrowed at her, demanding the truth.

She let out a tired sigh. "Well, I'm sick of lying on my back for one thing. I can't feel my butt. But I can't sit up yet, it hurts too much."

His humorous expression flattened out into one of concern. "Are you in pain?"

"Not really, they've doped me up pretty good." She laughed. She watched, feeling uncomfortable as Oliver's eyes took in the pins sticking out of her leg.

"You going for a new look?" He joked but sobered when he caught her eyes. "Sorry."

He was silent for a few minutes, as if trying to decide what to say next.

"What's wrong Lois? I don't mean about this…" He said, indicating her body lying in the bed. "I mean with you, I can see in your eyes that something's bothering you."

His tone was so soft and gentle and she cursed herself as tears sprang up in her eyes. Swallowing them back down, she smiled. "I'm just having all these feelings, and I don't know what they mean anymore."

He seemed surprised by that revelation, and to be honest, she didn't know where it had come from either.

"Oh, well who's the lucky guy?" He asked.

She scoffed, yeah, as if she was going to tell him that. "Having this conversation with an ex is bad enough, without turning up the awkward dial."

He cleared his throat and smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, why don't you try? I'm a pretty good listener and I also hear I'm a really good friend. Words straight from your mouth I believe."

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Before she could stop them, the words were tumbling out of her mouth. "It's like I was going along and it just snuck up on me. And I tried to ignore it but there are these…moments…" She paused, thinking of all the flashbacks she'd been getting lately. "That you can't. I mean, I would never in a million years have thought that this was possible. It just seems so crazy."

She thought of Clark, of what he was doing now. Was he back at work? Was he at the farm? Why couldn't she get him out of her head? "Maybe I was reading it wrong, but I thought…just for a minute…someone needed _me_."

Oliver nodded, his expression strangely knowing. "I'm sure he needs you Lois."

She snorted. "That's sweet of you to say but, how do you know?"

"Because I know Clark." _Whoa_. He knew? Damn.

"What makes you think it's Clark?" She asked, though she knew there was no point in denying it. They'd kissed at her cousin's wedding, where there had been a lot of people. She would be foolish to think that Oliver didn't already know.

"Come on Lois, you can't fool me. The only time I've ever seen you look like that at a guy was when…" He trailed off, his voice becoming oddly quiet as his eyes avoided hers.

"When what?" She pressed.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." He got up and walked over to the window.

"Ollie," He turned to face her and smiled.

"So since you're stuck in here, I thought maybe you could use some entertainment."

He took something out of his pocket and she grinned, accepting the change in subject with relief.

"So what's it gonna be? Poker? Or maybe Rummy?"

* * *

Clark walked through the entrance of the hospital early that afternoon with a little apprehension. After getting his chores done, mostly to take his mind off things, he'd gone into work, quickly finished the article that was cutting it close to the deadline, and then arranged with Tess for him to take the rest of the day off. She'd been surprisingly accommodating and he had to wonder why. But for now, he didn't care.

He was going to spend the rest of the day with Lois and maybe, if she wanted, sneak back in after visiting hours were over. He headed up to the ICU ward and paused at Lois' door, a frown bunching his brows together. The bed was empty and made up, as if no one had even been in it.

He felt a momentary pang of sheer panic but then tried to reassure himself that Lois had been fine when he'd left earlier. Maybe she'd been moved. Heading out to the nurses station at the end of the corridor, he found himself thinking about the way in which he'd left earlier.

It hadn't been very graceful, since both Lois and Chloe had been staring at him with puzzled expressions. He sighed, she'd probably thought he couldn't wait to get out of there. But he hadn't wanted to take up any of Chloe's alone time with her and felt that he should leave them to it. He could've gone about it in a different way though.

As he reached the desk, the blonde nurse who'd told him to leave last night glanced up at him.

"Oh Mr Kent, didn't anyone tell you?" She asked, obviously knowing why he was there. "Lois has been moved to the post-op unit."

"No, I only just got back. Could you tell me how to get there?"

"I'll show you, follow me." She walked around the desk and he followed her into the elevator and up one floor. As she stepped out, she gestured to a long corridor. "She's in room two fifteen. I'm sorry, I thought someone would've informed you."

"It's okay, thank you."

"You're welcome, but one word of advise…" She said, a smile appearing. "If you're gonna sneak in after hours, make sure you're gone before rounds in the morning huh?"

She laughed as she stepped back into the elevator, leaving Clark standing there gawking at the closing metal doors.

Shaking it off he headed to Lois' room. He found it with ease and felt a smile tug at his lips at the thought of seeing her again. He paused, hearing voices coming from inside.

Looking through the tiny window in the door, he saw Lois holding a hand to her stomach as she tried to stop the laughter from bubbling out. His smile faded as he saw Oliver sitting in the chair beside her bed, a deck of cards sprawled out on the table in front of them. They seemed to be having a lot of fun, he could see the twinkle in Lois' eyes.

But what caught his eye was the large bouquet of expensive flowers on her bedside table, obviously from Oliver. He frowned down at the bunch he held in his hands, small by comparison and cheap looking.

As the sound of her laughter drifted out to him, Clark stepped back away from the door, dropped the flowers into a bin opposite and headed for the exit. Why couldn't he make Lois laugh like that? What was it about Oliver Queen that always made the women swoon?

Feeling bad for his sudden dislike of Oliver, he surged forward, down the stairs and out to the exit. He was in such a rush that he didn't see Chloe until he literally ran into her, knocking her backwards. Jimmy caught her and held her steady.

"Clark? Where's the fire? Wait, is there a fire?" She asked, her eyes latching onto his.

"Nowhere, I just have to go do something that's all." It would've been easier to lie and say that there was a blur related emergency to get to, but his best friend knew him too well, she would see right through it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Have you been in to see Lois? I meant to call you and tell you that she's been moved."

"She's already got some company, I'll come back later." Before Chloe could say anything else he said. "I have to go."

"That was weird." Jimmy said as they made their way up to Lois' room.

It definitely was, Chloe thought. What had gotten into her friend? As they got closer to Lois' room, Chloe could hear the sound of Oliver and Lois laughing and suddenly she knew why Clark had been eager to leave. Her heart fell as she glanced to the left.

"Oh Clark." She sighed, looking at the flowers now lying discarded in the garbage bin.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter Twenty**_

"Clark, what the hell?" He looked up at a fuming Chloe and he knew why she was here. He also knew that she was perfectly justified in her anger. Standing with her hands on her hips, she glared down at him over his desk at the Daily Planet.

"What's up Chloe?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh no, you don't get to 'what's up Chloe' me. What are you doing?" She demanded.

"I'm working. As you can see."

Chloe took in a deep breath and he knew that she was trying her hardest to keep her cool. "Clark, you haven't been to the hospital in two days. Lois is wondering if you've disappeared off the face of the planet and I've barely even talked to you, so what gives?"

"How is Lois?"

"Why don't you go and see her and find out for yourself?" She retorted as he stood up and crossed over to the fax machine in the corner of the bullpen. He realised his mistake when Chloe cornered him in, refusing to let him pass.

"I've been busy Chloe, you know how it is. I can't just blow off my _responsibilities_ to go and visit a friend."

"No matter how badly that 'friend' was hurt?" That was a low blow, even for Chloe and she knew it too. And she said the word friend as it if were a bad thing.

"Chloe…"

"No Clark! You don't get to blame this on your other duties. What is going on with you?"

"I told you, I've just been busy. Between doing my chores on the farm, and working here, which by the way, I've had to pick up Lois' share of work because she's…" He trailed off, not wanting to say the words. He was feeling bad enough as it was, he so didn't need Chloe breathing down his neck right now.

He nudged his way past her and walked out of the bullpen, with Chloe hot on his heels, into a nearby supply room. He had a feeling that Chloe had a lot to say and he didn't want the whole bullpen hearing what a coward he'd been.

"Because she's what? Lying in a hospital bed with pins sticking out of her leg and a hole in her gut?"

"Chloe…" He whispered harshly.

"I can't believe you of all people would do this to her Clark."

"Do what?"

"Abandon her." She replied stiffly, crossing her arms in front of herself.

"I didn't abandon her Chloe," He said, his tone rising. He was annoyed that Chloe would even think that much less accuse him of it. Except, he thought, what had he been doing really?

"Well why haven't you been to see her then? Why didn't you come back the other day when you almost knocked me flying in a rush to get out of there?"

"She already had company, I didn't think I would be missed."

"Well you were wrong." Chloe murmured, so low he almost didn't catch it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. So are you gonna see her today?"

"I uh…" Chloe moved in closer, her short stature making her seem no less formidable as she stared him down.

"Clark, I don't know what's going on with you right now, but I really think that Lois would like to see you. I mean come on, you guys kissed, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

If only she knew, Clark thought. "Of course it does, but maybe…" He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Maybe what?"

"I don't know, maybe I was reading too much into it."

Chloe narrowed her gaze. "Clark, I know you. I know that you don't go around kissing people unless you feel something for them. You're not that kind of person."

He nodded slowly, and swallowed hard. "Is she okay?"

"Well aside from the obvious," She said pointedly, "She's doing great, healing really well. The doctor said she's making good enough progress that she could be out in a couple of weeks."

"That's good."

"Yeah, well, you know Lois. She hates hospitals so its only natural for her to fight to get better faster."

"Why does she hate them so much?" He asked. Hospitals were never a nice place to be and Clark didn't exactly like them either, but Lois hated them with a passion.

Chloe scoffed and gave him a look that said she couldn't believe he'd just asked that question. "Why do you think she hates them? Where was her mom when she died Clark?"

"Lois was with her?" He asked, eyes widening.

"Of course she was. Uncle Sam was too busy trying to distract himself from the pain by working most of the time, so Lois was often left with her mom in the hospital, watching her slip away. She was only six Clark. Most of the time, the nurses had to keep Lois and Lucy occupied because their mom was drifting in and out so much by the end. "

Clark exhaled loudly, he hadn't known that. Lois had always been pretty tight lipped about her mother's passing. She had talked about her mom on occasion, but the subject of her last few months in the hospital never came up. And now he knew why, and felt like an even bigger jerk.

"So…" Chloe said after a moment. "Are you coming to see her today?"

"I will, but I have a lot to get done here first…" He wasn't lying, he really did have a lot to do, Tess had made sure that since Lois was out, it fell to Clark to make up for the lack of work coming in. So not only was he having to do his job, run the farm and do patrols at night time as the RBB, he also had to figure out what to do about Lois' workload.

Chloe backed away to the door, opening it before stopping to turn and glare at him. "Well if you do decide to _grace_ her with your presence, don't leave it too long huh?"  
And before Clark could respond, she was gone, leaving him standing there alone, feeling so bad he just wanted to the ground to open up swallow him.

In truth, he knew why he hadn't been to the hospital and even though it made him a coward, he couldn't bring himself to see her just yet. He'd seen Oliver in there everyday with her, making her laugh, holding her hand, making her feel less lonely and better. And as much as he wanted to see her, he didn't want impose on anything that might be resurfacing between the two.

He hadn't seen Oliver this concerned about Lois since they were dating and if he was starting to have feelings for her again, Clark didn't want to get in the way of that. Oliver may still be mad at him for keeping the murder of his parents a secret, but Clark was still his friend. And friends didn't move in on the other guy's girl. No matter how strong his feelings were becoming.

He frowned as he walked back into the bullpen and sat down at his desk. He didn't know what to make of the vision he'd had when Lois had been in surgery, but according to her, she'd had the exact same one. She'd described what he'd seen with almost perfect precision. So what did that mean? Were their minds linked? Or was it only that one time? He didn't know. He'd had plenty of dreams and visions of past memories about her over the past week or so and now he was wondering exactly how far this would go before it played itself out.

He also found himself dreading what was going to happen next. With green kryptonite, anything was possible. Leaning back in his chair, he thought of her now, lying in hospital, afraid but too tough to admit it, no doubt wondering why he hadn't been to see her and he felt awful.  
He ran his hands down his face, man this was really a mess.

* * *

"So…I saw Clark earlier today." Chloe said absently as she flipped over another card.

Lois froze for a second, before tipping over one of hers on the table in front of her. She was now sitting halfway up in her bed and it was wonderful. She'd been lying on her back for so long she was worried that she'd get stuck like that.

She shrugged as she kept her eyes on the cards that Oliver had left here for her. "So?"

"Just thought you'd like to know that's all."

"Whatever, if Mr I-Can't-Possibly-Leave-The-Farm has no time to come visit me, then there's really nothing I can say about that."

"He says he's been given some of your workload so he really hasn't had much time."

"Like I said, it's okay. It's not like I need him here every second of the day. And have you forgotten how irritating Smallville can be when he's bored and restless? He drives me insane." She said as nonchalantly as she could manage.

If she was honest, she had to admit that the fact that Clark had stayed away from her for two whole days hurt more than she cared to examine. Though she'd had suspicions of him regretting their kiss at Chloe's wedding, it still stung to actually have the proof right in front of her. Or not as the case was.

Oliver had been great, he'd been there most of the time, which she wouldn't analyse at this point, so she didn't have a chance to really miss Clark. It was strange to see Ollie acting so concerned but then, they were still friends, she told herself. But for a billionaire playboy with a massive empire to run, not to mention his side job as the Green Arrow, he sure seemed to have enough time on his schedule to come to Smallville every day to visit. Which was nice, it kept her from thinking too much.

But late at night, when the room was deathly quiet and dark, she wanted to reach out and touch the head of thick, dark hair she remembered lying on her bed a few nights previously. She shook herself mentally, one kiss did not mean that they were suddenly a couple. And besides, he had more important things to be doing than sitting with her. Metropolis needed the Red-Blue-Blur. He wasn't hers. And she would do well to remember that.

"You miss him." Chloe blurted. It wasn't a question so much as it was a fact, and Lois hated that Chloe knew it too.

Didn't mean she was willing to admit defeat though. "I do not. I only saw him two days ago for pete's sake. But let's face it, I need all the company I can get in this place. I'm going crazy in here."

"Lois, you _miss_ him."

Chloe's eyes met hers and refused to budge. She huffed. "Ugh fine! I miss him okay, are you happy now? I swear if you tell anyone I will hunt you down…"

"Yeah, yeah sure Lois. I won't tell anyone." Chloe laughed, returning her attention to the cards in her hand.

"I just…I don't get it Chlo. He was so sweet the other day, he talked to me, he…well I thought there was a… you know what, never mind." She dropped the subject, unable to find the right words.

"You thought there was a what?" Evidently Chloe wasn't going to let it go.

She let out a sigh. "Well, I thought we had a…moment. I don't know, maybe it was the pain killers or something but…when I fell asleep, he was here. And when I woke up, he was here. I just don't understand what's changed so much that he hasn't been by in _two_ days."

"Maybe he really is just busy Lois." Chloe said, giving her a sympathetic look that Lois couldn't stand to be under.

"Maybe."

They fell quiet for a few moments and studied their cards, but Lois could sense that Chloe was just dying to ask her something. "Okay, out with it."

"Out with what?" She asked innocently, a little too innocently. Lois wasn't buying it for a second.

"Whatever it is that's on your mind, I know there's something so come on, let's have it."

Chloe placed her cards face down on the table and leaned forward in her chair. "I was just curious about something."

"What?"

"When you went to see that hypnotist…"

"Pfft, she was just a quack." Lois scoffed.

She wasn't ready for Chloe to know about her visions or memories or whatever they were. As much as she needed someone to talk to, they were a private thing to Lois, and she didn't want to have other people casting their opinions. Besides that, if Clark ever found out she was having them, she would just have to move out of town, or at the very least, the farm house. That kind of humiliation was so not an option to her.

"Regardless of which, when you went to see her, what did she do to you? I mean how did she hypnotise you?"

Lois released a slow breath, well, she guessed it couldn't hurt to tell that part.

"Well, she had a locket, a really pretty and heavy looking locket. It looked kind of like an old family heirloom, that type of thing. I expected the usual routine of 'your eyes are getting heavy, you are feeling very sleepy' but none of that came. This woman, she was different. She said she could sense things, I don't know if she thinks she's some sort of fortune teller or what but she started waving this locket in front of me, it had a green gemstone in the middle," She noticed the abrupt way that Chloe's eyes widened but carried on.

"It caught the light each time it swung and it was so beautiful. I can't really remember much after that." She chuckled. "I'm just glad I didn't come out mooing like a cow."

Chloe however, didn't share the joke. "Lois, this gem, was it like the colour of the meteor rocks we see in Smallville?"

"Yeah I guess, oh…you think it was a meteor rock?"

"Maybe," She muttered, a thoughtful look coming over her. "It might help explain a few things." She looked back to Lois and smiled. "So no after affects? Nothing out of the ordinary?"

Lois shook her head slowly. "Nope, not a thing."

Though Chloe did have a point, she had been living in Smallville long enough to know what those little green rocks could do to people. Could it be that that was responsible for her memories? Not only that, but the feelings she felt whenever she had a flashback. They clearly weren't hers, but were they really Clark's? Or just a figment of her imagination. Like an hallucination.

"Not even the blackouts that Clark mentioned?"

"I'm gonna kill him." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, they're nothing Chlo, just a little low blood sugar is all." As Chloe opened her mouth to say something else, Lois cut her off. "So did you see the paper this morning? The Red-Blue-Blur is really working overtime huh?"

Chloe cleared her throat. "Yeah I saw it."

"Isn't he great? I mean the things he does for this city is just…well, nobody ever says thank you do they? Not that he'd expect it, he probably does all this out of the kindness of his heart." Lois sighed, putting on a little act. She knew that Chloe knew about Clark, she had to, they'd been best friends since they were like ten. And Chloe was always very protective of Clark.

A sudden vision hit her, making her frown as she had to focus hard to see it. It was a little blurry but she could just make out the two figures standing in front of her. Chloe and Clark. They were standing in the kitchen at the Kent farm and Clark had just lost his memory. Chloe was trying to help him get it back.

Okay, this was new, normally her visions or memories were only of her and Clark. But this was the second time Chloe had been in them. She watched as Chloe took the jar of peanut butter out of Clark's hand as if he were about to break the thing, and then her eyes fell on the giant hole in the wall that used to have a door in it. Oh, freak wind huh? How had she bought that? It was obvious now, seeing Chloe's antsy behaviour for the second time around, that Clark had been responsible for it.

She shook her head slowly as the image retreated back into her subconscious where it belonged. So many signs, so many hints and she'd never suspected, even once. Did that make her stupid or what, she'd lived with him for crying out loud.

"Yeah, he's a real hero." Chloe said, and Lois couldn't help but wonder if there was a hint of disdain in her voice. She glanced out the window, and saw the sun beginning its descent on the horizon.

"Hey you know it's getting pretty late. Maybe you should go and find your new husband and get him to take you out to dinner. Or better yet, a honeymoon." She grinned.

Chloe smirked at her. "Nice try Lo. I will take the opportunity of the dinner, since I haven't seen Jimmy since this morning, but I am going nowhere else. The sooner you get used to that, the better for all of us."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't try."

"I won't." Chloe chuckled and stood up. She glanced at her watch and frowned, obviously disappointed in something and Lois had a feeling she knew what it was. Visiting hours were due to be over in about half an hour. Clark wasn't coming. Again.  
Well, whatever right? She didn't need him anyway. _Yeah, keep telling yourself that Lois. _

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Chloe said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Sure thing, I'll be here. I don't think I have any major plans for tomorrow anyway."

"Cute Lo, real cute." Chloe laughed, making her way over to the door. Just as she reached for the handle, it opened abruptly, knocking her backwards.

"Clark! You have really gotta stop doing that! Do you plan it or something?" Chloe grumbled as she caught herself.

Lois felt her heart kick up a notch in her chest as she saw Clark standing in the doorway of her room, a guilt ridden look on his face. Though whether it was directed at Chloe or her was anybody's guess.

"Sorry Chloe, I didn't know you were here." He said quietly, placing a hand on her upper arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine but…" Her voice trailed off as her head tilted down as if she'd caught sight of something and then she said. "Well I gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow Lois. Take it easy huh?"

"Thanks Chloe, bye."

After she was gone, Lois watched Clark as he stood by the door, looking as awkward as she felt at that moment. Then finally he stepped forward, bringing something out from behind his back.

"These are for you." He said, placing them on her little table in front of her. She took the flowers, a small bunch of white lilies that had a purple velvet ribbon tied round the stems in a little bow, and lifted them to her nose, inhaling deeply.

"Thank you…"

"Sorry I uh, picked them off the farm myself," He murmured, shifting uneasily in his stance, his eyes flitting over to the massive bouquet from Oliver. "That's why there's no fancy wrapping, but I thought you might like them."

Her heart clenched at the token and she had to fight from showing just how much this little gesture meant to her. He would never know that this small bunch of flowers was more valuable to her than the gigantic arrangement Oliver had brought her. And why? Because it was from him, from his heart.

"They're beautiful Clark. Thanks."

"So…" He started, taking the seat that Chloe had just vacated. "How you doing?"

"I'm okay. The pain's getting better and the doc thinks that I might not have to be in here much longer. He thinks that once the pins are ready to come out, I can be out of here and heading into physiotherapy. A few more weeks at the most."

"That's really great Lois." He replied, her enthusiasm obviously not being caught by him. He looked sad, and she wondered what had happened to him since she'd seen him last.

"Clark…"  
"Lois…" The both spoke at the same time, cancelling each other out.

"I'm sorry." He said abruptly.

"What for?"

"For not being here in the last couple of days. I wanted to visit but…I was really busy and I know that sounds like a terrible excuse but it's true and you seemed to have plenty of visitors anyway." He said, nodding towards the flowers on her window sill.

Wait, what was that look? Was he…? No, he couldn't be jealous of Oliver. Could he? She shrugged her shoulders and leaned her head back against the pillow.

"It's okay. I don't expect to be the person at the top of your priority list." Okay, that came out way more harsh than she'd wanted it to and now she felt bad because he looked hurt.

"What I mean is, I guess you're pretty busy what with the farm and the Planet and...other things. I don't expect you to drop everything for me Smallville." She smiled tightly, and he sort of returned it, but there was still something in his eyes. Something she couldn't quite define.

"I wanted to be here with you Lois." He said, reaching out to take her hand in his. She felt a tingle go up her arm at his touch and tried to ignore it. She couldn't let him affect her like this, she needed to keep a clear head around him, which these days, was easier said than done.

Her dreams last night had been filled with him, memories of him. Everything…_him_. But she couldn't have him, not when he was so busy doing the wonderful things he did as the Red-Blue-Blur.

"I know, but I'm okay really. Chloe and Jimmy have been here a lot and Oliver keeps stopping by." Okay, there was definitely a look there. And it was definitely something to do with Oliver.

"He was really worried about you." He said in a thick voice.

"Well, he didn't need to be. I may be just a woman, but I'm tougher than I look." She chuckled, but it died out when Clark didn't return it. He just sat there, looking solemn and she had no idea what to say to him.

When had things become this awkward between them? She couldn't stand it, she just wanted her friend back. The one she could tease relentlessly, and talk to about almost anything. She shook her head, man, feelings always complicated things didn't they? This was precisely what she had been worried about when she'd first discovered she felt something more than friendship for the guy. It was also the reason she had decided never to act on said feelings. It only made things worse and she couldn't stand the thought of losing him as a friend.

"We kissed." Lois' mouth fell open as Clark blurted the words out and he looked as shocked to have said them as she was to hear them.

Breathlessly, she said. "Yeah, I remember." Where was he going with this? "You wanna talk about it?"

"I uh…" He rubbed his hands on his thighs. "I think that's a pretty complicated conversation Lois."

"Well, we don't have to over analyse anything do we?" Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she mustered up the courage to say the next words.

"Maybe we should just put it down to the atmosphere and the whole romantic vibe. Lots of people kiss at weddings, it doesn't have to mean anything. And I don't want this to affect our friendship because, even though I like to deny it, you are my best friend Smallville." Afraid she'd said too much, Lois clamped her mouth shut and waited for him to respond.

"Lois…I…" He stopped and stared down at his hands. "I don't want to lose your friendship either."

From out of nowhere, Lois could see tears swimming in her vision so she blinked them back and turned her head away from him. Her saviour came in the form of a nurse poking her head in through the door.

"Sorry to interrupt guys but…" She pointed at her watch. "It's almost time. Ten more minutes?" She said, looking at Clark who nodded back and then she left them alone again. The silence was almost deafening and Lois wanted to scream just to make some noise. She hated this.

"I guess you should go then." She said quietly, still not looking at him.

"I guess." He agreed. "But I'll be back first thing in the morning Lois."

"It's okay Clark, you don't have to."

"I want to." He said softly, taking her hand in his again. She looked over and saw him smiling and it took her breath away for a moment so that she couldn't speak.

She nodded and smiled, then watched him get up and walk to the door. He no doubt had plenty of important places to be.

"Why should I think I'm special." She whispered, so low not even her own ears heard it very well. Which she was grateful for, because if he'd heard it, she would've died right there. She had no idea where those words had come from and why they'd chosen this moment to come out. No one liked a pity party, least of all Lois Lane.

Clark stopped at the doorway, one hand resting on the doorknob, the other in his red jacket pocket, and smiled at her. "Because you are special Lois."

He walked out and closed the door softly behind him, leaving her sitting there with her jaw hanging wide open. How had he...? _Duh...superpowers_. She thought. There was obviously still so much more she didn't know about Clark Kent.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter Twenty One**_

"So you're getting out today? You gotta be pretty pleased with that." Oliver asked as he sat on the chair next to Lois' hospital bed early that morning. She wondered why he was there so early, surely he couldn't afford to keep taking time off work to come to Smallville, though the last couple of weeks he had limited it to twice a week but she had seen more of him in the last month than she had the entire time she'd been dating him. Well, it felt that way anyway.

She smiled and looked over at him.  
"I cannot wait to get out of here. The staff are all great but I am literally climbing the walls."

"Well at least you've had plenty of visitors to keep you occupied." He replied with his trademark grin that years ago, would've knocked her off her feet.

She smiled, thinking of Clark. He'd been so sweet over the last month, bringing her fresh flowers each time the previous ones were dying out, sitting with her every day not to mention sneaking back in after hours some nights.

Last week she had been so crabby, fed up with being confined to her room and her bed, unable to do anything but gripe about it. The pins in her leg had been taken out last week and she had been put in a full leg cast. So Clark had talked to the nurses and appeared at her doorway with a wheelchair. Before she had a chance to say anything, he'd gently lifted her out of bed and placed her in it, then wrapped a blanket around her and wheeled her outside for some fresh air.

She hadn't been able to get her throat working to thank him, so she'd held his hand as she'd absorbed the fresh country air like she'd been starved of the stuff for months. Thing was, with him doing things like that for her, he was making it increasingly hard for her to remember why she'd decided to stick to just being friends with the guy. Well that and the constant dreams she kept having. They weren't helping either.

She shook her head before her mind could start replaying those thoughts. Thinking of his naked skin against hers could and would only lead to trouble.

She cleared her throat and looked back at Oliver. "Yeah, Clark's actually been really great. He comes by every day after he finishes work."

An odd expression crossed Oliver's features and she saw his eyes look at the small bunch of flowers that was on the cabinet beside her bed. "Every day huh?" He said, his voice thick.

"Yeah, he keeps me from going completely insane and it's kinda nice to still be in the loop." At Oliver's confused expression she said. "He brings some work in for us to do while he's here."

"He's got you working? Lois, you should be resting." Evidently that little piece of news did not sit well with Oliver.

"Firstly, I asked him to and secondly, I can't sit in here without something to keep my mind busy Ollie. I'm glad he did, it means I can still be me even if I have to stay in this bed."

Oliver let out a quiet sigh and reached across and grabbed her hand in his. "I just don't think you should rush back into anything Lois, you were shot. You almost died. I think it's okay if you take some time off to get over that before you throw yourself back into work."

"Ollie, my work is important to me, and the fact that you think I shouldn't be doing any right now tells me exactly how little you really know me." She replied, removing her hand from his grasp. "Clark knows that I need to do this, that I need something to keep my synapses firing. He gets that." _He gets me_, she thought.

"Yeah he's a real boy scout. I wonder how he has the time between working at the Planet, managing the farm and…" He trailed off and fell silent, and Lois was sure that he'd been about to mention something else. So obviously he must know about the Blur too. Well, of course he would. He's the Green Arrow, why wouldn't he know.

"And…?" She pressed, hoping that he would tell her but not really expecting it. Although Oliver did looked conflicted for a moment or two.

"Nothing, I just want to make sure you're getting better. I…we almost lost you Lois."

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, studying him, but his face was as blank as the piece of paper on her table. "Well, like I told Clark, you can't get rid of me that easily. Besides…"

A knock at the door cut her off and she was glad because she didn't actually know what she was going to say. Something was off with Oliver lately and she couldn't figure it out. She glanced over as the door opened and she saw a dark head poke through.

"Speak of the devil," Oliver muttered as Clark smiled and walked inside the room.

"Hey, how you feeling?" He asked, standing beside her bed with his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. It was the first thing he always said when he came in, every day.

"Pretty good thanks. Gonna get out of here so that's even better. So…did you bring me anything?" She asked, her eyes lighting up as he chuckled and handed her a thin folder containing some documents. He kept his grip on it as she tried to take it and waited for her to look up.

"This is only something small Lois, but I think you're gonna love it." He grinned. She was grateful that he had brought some of his work in with him over recent weeks so that she could help him, though she suspected that it was mostly to stop them falling into uncomfortable silences. But she was fine with it. It meant she could combine two things she loved doing, working and spending time with Clark.

"Hey Oliver," Clark said as he pulled up a chair and sat on the opposite side to him.

"Hey," Oliver replied, without a smile. Okay, what was going on there? Lois wondered. As she flipped through the folder that Clark handed her, she saw Oliver watching him with an intense, almost nasty look in his eyes.

"Anyway, did I mention I'm getting out of here today? I can't wait to go home." She said, trying to break the tension that seemed to have built up around them.

"You did yes." Clark replied, and just as he opened his mouth to say something else, Oliver cut in.

"You know Lois, you could come and stay with me." Both Lois and Clark's heads whipped around to face him in surprise. "I could hire a private nurse to make sure you're taken care of and you would have the best physiotherapist money can buy."

"No offence Ollie, but I don't need another nurse. I'm finally getting rid of the ones in here, lovely as they are, I can't take anymore uniforms. I need a complete break. And I'm fine with the physiotherapist I have here. He's lovely and I'm gonna be working with him when I get this stupid cast off. But thanks for the offer."

She turned back to see Clark watching Oliver with a knowing, though sad expression.  
"Well, you know where I am if you need me Lo. I guess I should get going." He got to his feet and began to make his way to the door, but he stopped and doubled back, then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"Is he acting strange or is it just me?" Lois asked Clark after Oliver had left. Clark shook his head and stood up.

"I don't know, I'm gonna go talk to him, I'll be right back. Why don't you get started on that while I'm gone." He smiled, pointing at the folder that contained an article that Clark was currently working on.

"I'm on it Smallville."

As Clark closed the door behind him, he saw Oliver just about to leave the one at the end of the hall.

"Oliver!" He yelled, running to catch up with him. "Hey Oliver," Either he hadn't heard him, or he was ignoring him, and Clark was inclined to believe the latter, but Oliver kept walking. Clark eventually caught up to him at the entrance to the hospital.

"Oliver, what is going on with you?" Clark asked as he grabbed Oliver's shoulder to stop him from leaving.

"Nothing, why?" He replied tersely.

"What was that all about in there?"

"I was offering Lois the best care that she's evidently going to need when she gets out of here. She's gonna need a lot of physiotherapy Clark, and it'll be a long process."

"But she lives at the farm."

Oliver scoffed. "Come on Clark, we both know that you're too busy to actually take good care of her."

"I'm not sure I like that insinuation Oliver. I care about Lois, I want her to get better faster…" He trailed off as he realised that maybe Oliver had a point. "But I guess she would be better off having someone there all the time."

Oliver's eyebrows flickered in surprise. "So you agree with me?"

"I didn't say that." Clark replied, frowning. "But don't you think that it's up to Lois?"

"Well she already gave her answer so I guess there's not much to talk about is there." He said flatly and walked away.

"Oliver wait." As he stopped and turned around, Clark walked forward and asked quietly. "Why do you want her to stay with you so much?"

It was a few moments before Oliver answered. "I don't know Clark, I guess I just want to make sure that she's okay."

"I want the same thing."

"You could talk to her, maybe convince her that this is in her best interests?"

"You know Lois, once she's made up her mind, that's it."

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. I guess she's made her choice huh." He gave Clark a strange look and then turned around again. "I'll see you later Clark."

He walked out of the hospital leaving Clark standing there wondering what was going on with him, though he feared he already knew. Oliver still had feelings for Lois.

"Everything okay?" She asked without looking up as Clark walked back in her room.

"I'm not sure." He replied, returning to the seat he'd been in before.

"Is he angry with you about something?" She asked, closing the folder to focus her attention on him. He smiled a little as he studied her.

Even without make up, she looked especially pretty today. Her eyes held a sparkle that he hadn't seen for a while and he knew that it was probably the news that she could leave the hospital today that had put it there. But she seemed so much happier lately and he was glad. She'd been through a lot, but she'd come out on the other side okay.

"I don't know Lois, maybe." He replied, thinking he knew that Oliver still had a problem with him. Clark hadn't told him that it was Lionel that had killed his parents and that had almost destroyed their friendship.

"Clark, tell me." She demanded, staring straight into his eyes.

He blew out a breath and leaned forward. "I think Oliver was kinda hoping that you would go and stay with him while you recuperate."

"But why would he…? Oh…" As it hit her, Clark could see the wheels turning in her head. "I see."

"I think maybe you should." He said, his eyes cast down at his feet but he didn't have to look at her to know that she was frowning at him, he could feel it.

"But I live at the farm." She replied, stating the same words he'd used earlier.

"But Oliver can get you the best…" She held up her hand.

"I don't wanna hear how he can hire the best staff that this country has ever seen Clark. I know he can, and I know that he would take care of me. But I don't wanna be a burden to him or to…anyone."

"Lois…"

"Smallville, it's fine, I don't need anyone to hold my hand. I can take care of myself."

Clark rolled his eyes at her adamant tone. "Lois no one is doubting that but this isn't something you can just play off like a bump to the head or a scraped elbow."

"I'll be fine." She huffed. "I can stay with Chloe."

"Chloe who recently got married? That Chloe?"

"Low blow Smallville." She warned, sending him a death glare, which he ignored.

"Lois, you live at the farm."

"So?" She returned her attention to the folder in her hands until he reached across and took the nearest one in between both of his. He heard her slight intake of breath and hoped that he wasn't crossing any lines. He waited until he looked at him before he spoke.

"Lois, you could never be a burden to me. I know how strong and tough you are, but sometimes even the great Lois Lane needs a little help. And I would like to take care of you for a little while, just till you're back on your feet."

As she opened her mouth, Clark held up his hand, this time stopping her. "Lois, this is what friends do for one another. Just for once, stop being so stubborn." He wondered what he'd said wrong when her face abruptly fell, but then she smirked at him and masked it.

"I'll show you stubborn Smallville. You'll see, one week of me at the farm and you'll be begging Ollie to take me off your hands."

_Not likely_, Clark thought determinedly. "I have more patience than you think Lois, how else could I have stayed friends with you for so long."

"Gee Smallville, you really have a way with words don't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled playfully at her. "What can I say, it's a gift."

There was a knock on the door and then it opened to reveal Lois' doctor.  
"How are you feeling Lois?" He asked as he moved to stand next to her.

"I'm great, really great." She urged.

The doctor chuckled. "Don't worry Lois, I have your discharge papers right here. I wouldn't dream of keeping you in here another moment."

"Finally, thank you."

"No problem. But just remember that you're still recovering from your surgery, your abdomen will still be a little sore for the next couple of weeks and you need to be on complete rest."

As Lois murmured and made a grab for the papers, the doctor pulled them out of her reach. "I mean it Lois, nothing strenuous. And you have to come back in two weeks for the cast to be removed and then we'll start the physiotherapy."

"Got it,"

"Alright, I take it you have someone to help look after you?" He asked, glancing at Clark.

He nodded. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

"Good, so that's it then, time to say goodbye and I hope you don't take this the wrong way when I say I hope I don't see you in here anytime soon." He chuckled.

"Not at all, and thank you, for everything. You've all been wonderful in here."

"Anytime Lois, so what do ya say you sign these, and we get you on your way."

Clark braced himself as she looked over at him, sure that she was going to give him a glare for what he'd said but her gaze was soft and there was a small smile tugging at her lips.

With her eyes still locked on Clark, she replied. "Yeah, I'm ready to go home." 

* * *

Clark opened the door of his truck a little while later and handed Lois her crutches as she carefully stepped out. Wrapping one arm around her waist, the other carrying her hospital bag, he bought her body in close to his.

Though she hated leaning on him, because it showed her weakness, she knew she had no choice since using the crutches properly strained her stomach and that hurt. She leaned on him as he guided her to the house, pausing a moment as they got to the front porch.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"Nothing, I just need a minute." She replied, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of the fresh afternoon air. It felt invigorating, since she'd been cooped up for so long. "Okay, I'm ready."

He helped her into the house and as she took in the sight before her, she felt her heart flip in her chest. There was a bed, her bed, set up in the corner of the dining room, and a large curtain framing the doorway for privacy. Next to the bed was a little table with a bunch of fresh lilies in a vase on it.

"Smallville," She croaked. "You did all this for me?"

He shrugged, keeping his arm around her waist. "I wanted you to be comfortable and I know that you won't be able to use the stairs for a while. I just thought this would be easier for you."

"Clark." She whispered, leaning her head closer to his. He smiled down at her, his blue eyes shining. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied, his voice taking on that same note of huskiness that hers had. Their eyes stayed locked for a little while, she wasn't sure how long but when he finally pulled back, she found that she wasn't quite ready to let go of him, and not because she was unsteady on her feet.

"Do you wanna lie down, or sit in the living room?" He asked.

"Actually, I kinda wanna sit outside. I need some fresh air."

He nodded. "Okay," He set down her bag and then helped her outside, getting her settled on the wicker bench on the front porch. She watched him as he carefully concentrated on wrapping a blanket around her legs to stop her getting cold.

He was so adorable, manly yet incredibly endearing. No wonder she'd fallen in love with the guy. She closed her eyes and grimaced. Yes, she admitted it. She was in love with Clark Kent. But he could never know. Just like he could never know that she knew about his secret.

She wanted him to tell her on his own terms, not because she forced it out of him. She would not be that kind of person. And if he never wanted to tell her, she would take his secret to the grave with her. She would die before she ever did anything to hurt him.

A rough panting sound reached her ears and for a second she thought it was Clark, but when she felt Shelby's cold wet nose press against her forearm, she turned and welcomed him with a sneeze, which made her wince.

"Hey Shelby, did you miss me?" The dog's response was to lick her ear when she bent her head down to him, eliciting a chuckle from her. "I'll take that as a yes. I know Clark's company can leave a lot to be desired huh?"

Clark smirked at her as he straightened up, but then turned serious when Shelby tried to jump up at Lois. "No Shelby, you can't do that yet. Sorry boy." He grabbed his collar and ushered him into the house and Lois felt a little overwhelmed by the protectiveness and thoughtfulness of the man she had come to love.

"So, what would you like for dinner. My treat." He said when he returned.

"Anything?"

"Anything Lois." There was just too much soul in those beautiful eyes, she thought, he was heartbreakingly gorgeous so she had to look away before her face decided to announce her thoughts.

"I could really go for a pizza. I haven't had one for so long."

Clark laughed. "Lois, you sound like you've been marooned on a desert island for the last three years or something."

"Well, you try being in a hospital twenty-four-seven with only the sounds of monitors beeping and patients crying in pain to keep you occupied. Not to mention the horrid stuff they actually have the nerve to call food."

His face sobered, and he sat down beside her. He reached over and took her hand, he seemed to like doing that a lot lately, but she refused to read too much into it. She'd seen him do the same thing with Chloe countless times before.

"Well, you don't have to deal with that anymore Lois." His eyes met hers and held them captured. "You're home now."


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter Twenty Two**_

"That's it Lois, you're doing great, keep going." Lois grunted under the effort and sent her physiotherapist a glare, which he took in his stride and ignored, sticking by her side as she struggled to walk the monstrous distance of ten feet. It was a lot harder than she'd thought it would be.

Well into her first week of physio, Lois was beginning to like her therapist a lot. Nick was great, kind, patient, and funny to boot. Though he was a slave driver when it came to this.

Gripping the handrails so tight that her knuckles turned white, Lois forced herself to complete the distance, aiming for the chair at the end. Her cast had been taken off just over two weeks ago and though the doctor had told her to wait a while, she'd insisted on starting her therapy not long after.

She paused for a second to catch her breath as the pain burned in her thigh, radiating out to her hip.

"Giving up?" Nick teased. "Maybe I should stick a maple donut at the end, you know, light a fire under you."

Lois glanced sideways at him. "If I recall, I'm not the only one who likes those."

"True," Nick nodded. "Okay then, maybe I should put that hunky boyfriend of yours at the end, that'd give me some incentive any day." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Lois laughed at his candour, he clearly wasn't shy about expressing himself. But then, she thought, why should he be? He was obviously comfortable with who he was and he was such fun to be around, she didn't feel like he was her doctor, helping her to get better, she felt as if she were making a new friend.

"He's not…" She grunted, taking another step. "My boyfriend."

"Whatever you say sweetie." He replied. "I see the way you look at him when he brings you in here."

Lois averted her eyes, because she knew he was right and it made her cringe to think that it was so blatantly obvious. But since she'd admitted to herself that she was in love with Clark, things had been a little easier to deal with. Well, inside her head anyway. Actually dealing with Clark, knowing what she knew, was a little tougher.

Especially since the guy had done nothing but take great care of her over the past few weeks. The memories still plagued her, the emotions she felt each time she had one, were still overwhelming in their intensity since they weren't actually her emotions, along with the constant very naked dreams of him, but they were becoming less and less frequent so she hoped that they were beginning to come to an end.

Nick barked out a laugh. "But hey, if you don't want him, I'd be more than happy to take him off your hands."

In the relatively safe privacy of the Smallville Medical Centre's rehab department, Lois rolled her eyes and smirked. "I didn't say that."

"So you admit that you do want him?"

"Are we here to fix my leg, or talk about my love life." She huffed, planting her hands on the rails in front of her a little further up.

"I don't see why we can't do both."

As she took another step, her bad leg gave out and she fell to the floor. "Ow! Damn it."

Nick was by her side in an instant, helping her up and heading towards the chair.  
"No, I can do this."

Suddenly serious and meaning business, Nick said. "No that's enough for today Lois."

"Nick, you don't understand, I hate not being able to do anything for myself. Do you think I like having Clark wait on me hand and foot? Because I don't. I mean don't get me wrong, he's been great and all, but I need to do this."

"You _need_ to rest for today. You've done enough. Don't push this too hard Lois, I told you when we started that this wasn't going to be an overnight fix. There was a lot of damage done to your leg so I suggest if you don't want to end up with a permanent limp, you listen to what the expert is saying. It's my way or the highway."

She grumbled as she sat down in the chair. "Fine."

"That's my girl. Now, how about we call your _boyfriend_ to come pick you up, I think we're done here."

"He's not…" She sighed, giving up her futile efforts to persuade him. "Whatever."

* * *

Clark pulled up outside the hospital just in time for the end of Lois' appointment. As he walked inside the large double doors, he could hear her laughing and he liked the sound. It hadn't happened a whole lot recently.

After he'd brought her home from the hospital, Clark had called Tess and taken three weeks off work to help Lois settle back in at the farm. But she'd been in a lot of pain and he hadn't known what to do to ease it. Though Chloe had been there most days to help with the parts he couldn't, like showering and changing, he'd been the one who had had to bear the brunt of her moods, since the pain had made her more than grouchy at times.

But he didn't mind and he actually liked taking care of her. He felt that it helped make up for letting her get hurt. He cooked her meals, took her to all of her appointments, and even took her for drives into the city because she'd gotten so restless at the house. They had movie nights most nights and he always ended up carrying her to bed when she'd fallen asleep against his shoulder.

It was then that he thought about their relationship the most. She'd become a very important part of his life, one he wouldn't trade for anything. But that kiss…the one they never ever talked about, it played on his mind. As did their time in the Phantom Zone.

Lois had been so brave in there, he had to wonder why he was holding back. Things had been a little easier since the cast had been taken off her leg, she was smiling a lot more and he didn't feel as if he had to walk on eggshells around her anymore.

Their friendship was returning back to what it had once been, before the kiss, and before the memories that he knew she was still getting, because he was still getting them too. But there was always something lingering just under the surface, he could feel it looming over them sometimes, an ever present gnawing in the centre of his chest that wouldn't go away.

"Well look who it is," Nick, her therapist cooed as he walked over to them. Lois was sitting on a chair, her face pale and covered with a light sheen of sweat. She looked exhausted.

"Hey," He said lightly, trying to conceal his concern because he knew it would only rile her up. She hated being fussed over. "Ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, just give me a minute will ya Smallville?" She replied and he could see that she was a little out of breath. Man, how hard had she been pushing herself?

"Sure."

Nick handed her some papers and kneeled down in front of her. "I want you to do these exercises twice each day, not counting today because you've done enough already. Got that? Once in the morning and once in the evening."

"I'm not a child, I can take basic instruction." She chided, snatching the papers from his hand.

"Yeah, you just don't like to follow it." Nick added, with a chuckle.

Well, Clark thought, hadn't these two hit it off nicely. They seemed like best buds all of a sudden and he wasn't sure whether that bothered him or not.

"Okay, get your ass outta here, I'll see you in three days."

"Thanks." She replied, then turned her attention to Clark. She handed him the papers and then grabbed her crutches, and stood up on shaky legs. Clark wanted to reach out and steady her, but he knew that she wouldn't want to seem weak in front of other people. So he hung back as she tried to take a step, faltered and started falling. He grabbed her quickly, wrapping one arm around her waist.

"I'm perfectly capable…" She started.

"Lois, let the man help you." Nick grinned, winking at her. Clark didn't know what that was about, but as he felt Lois surrender and lean on him, he didn't care.

After he'd gotten her settled in the truck, he drove towards the farm and waited for Lois to start the conversation. He didn't know what kind of mood she was in and her face was giving nothing away.

After about five minutes, she leaned forward and turned on the radio, but when she found nothing but country songs playing, she huffed and turned it off again. More minutes passed and Clark turned onto the road that would take them to the farm.

Suddenly, Lois turned to him, her eyes surprisingly soft as she spoke so low that he had to strain to hear her.

"Thank you Clark."

"What? What for?"

"You know, this. Everything really. You took time off work to take care of me, you do everything around the house for me. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it."

She turned back to look out of her window, leaving Clark speechless. He didn't know what to say to that. He'd never done any of it for a thank you. He'd done it because it was the right thing to do. And because he cared. Seeing her in pain had been harder on him than he'd thought it would be.

She sighed softly, still looking out of the window. "You're always there for me, aren't you." It wasn't phrased as a question, more of a statement. But he waited to see where she was going with it.

"I mean, you're always around. You've always been the helpful guy, the one everybody could count on. And you've been such a good friend over the past few weeks, I know I haven't really been that easy to live with and I'm…sorry for that."

Clark was shocked, Lois Lane had just apologised to him. Damn, and there were no cameras around to record it. He shook his head and looked over at her.

"Lois, there's nothing to be sorry for. You were in a lot of pain, I completely understand." He flashed her a smile. "But you're welcome."

* * *

"Smallville!" Clark's ears caught the sound of a very frustrated voice and he rushed out of the barn and into the house to see her sitting on the floor next to the stairs.

"Hey, what are you doing down there?" He asked.

"Having a picnic, what does it look like?" She snapped, then took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just uh, I need to get upstairs and I uh…well…" She looked uncomfortable, as if she didn't know how to phrase her next words.

"Let me help you up." He said, walking over to her. She looked at his outstretched hand as if weighing up her options and when she'd obviously decided that there was no other way she was getting off that floor, she reached out and took it.

"Would you help me upstairs please?" She asked, her voice little more than a whisper and he knew it had been hard for her to ask. He smiled and nodded, holding her around the waist as they started for the bottom step.

About halfway up, she started flagging, her energy waning fast, so Clark lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way, ignoring her protests. He set her down gently and waited for the backlash, but none came. Which was strange, very strange.

"Thanks." She said softly, hobbling on her crutches towards the bathroom.

He was about to head back downstairs when he heard her calling him. Walking through to the bathroom, he found her perched on the edge of the tub.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

If he didn't know any better, he could swear she was blushing.

"Well, since Chloe's on her honeymoon, I uh…well I haven't had a shower since the day before yesterday and…" She trailed off, obviously uncomfortable.

It had taken a lot of work, but Lois had finally managed to convince Chloe that now her cast was off, she was able to take care of her personal needs, so she had booked a week's vacation in Madrid for the happy couple to repay them for everything they'd done.

She looked up at him, but kept her eyes focused on something behind his shoulder. "Would you um…?"

Clark got was she was asking, but was momentarily too stunned to answer. Lois Lane never asked for help, much less his.

"Forget it, it was stupid of me to…"

"No, no it's okay. I don't mind." He replied, moving closer. "Um, what would you like, shower or bath?"

"I think a shower would be better."

Though he didn't know how she was going to be able to stand up and do everything that needed doing and when he thought about it, he felt his own cheeks growing a little warm.

"Maybe a bath would be better Lois. It would help ease the aches and pains." He could tell just by how she was sitting that she was in obvious discomfort. Again he thought that maybe she was pushing her therapy too hard, but decided not to comment.

Without waiting for her answer, Clark leaned over the tub, and turned on the faucets. He added some of her bubble bath, and checked the water temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot. When he was done, he pulled back and found her watching him with a strange expression.

"Can you get undressed yourself?" He couldn't believe he'd just asked that. And the new flush of redness in her cheeks told him she couldn't either.

"Yeah, I can manage that."

"Okay, I'll uh…" A soft sigh cut him off.

"I hate this." She muttered.

"Hate what Lois?"

"This…" She said, indicating her leg. "I hate not being able to do this myself. I hate having to rely on you to…"

Kneeling down in front of her, he took one of her hands in his. "Lois, there's nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it. I know you like to be independent, but you're still healing. Give yourself a break huh?"

She shook her head at herself, and then nodded, looking into his eyes for the first time since he'd walked in the room. "Thanks."

He smiled lightly at her and then walked out, leaving her to get on with getting undressed. Downstairs, Clark went about preparing dinner, refusing to let his mind wander into the dangerous territory of wondering what Lois was doing right now.

As he was putting some dishes away that had been washed earlier, he heard a soft thud followed by. "Son of a…!"

Running back upstairs, he pounded on the bathroom door. "Lois, are you okay?"

She didn't answer and he was halfway through the door when she yelled. "Don't come in…"

Too late.

Clark's eyes felt like they were going to pop right out of his head as he took in the sight before him. Lois was half lying, half sitting on the floor…naked.

Before he could even blink or look away, Clark was hit with a bright flash of light and then a different image replaced the one in front of him. Though the subject was the same. Lois naked, standing in her bathroom in the Talon apartment, holding a back brush as a weapon.

He couldn't stop it from happening, knew it was so wrong, but his eyes drifted downwards, just as they had then. Admiring the smooth silky skin of her toned body. He felt strange, embarrassment and shock all rolled into one. But he was sure that not all of those emotions were coming from him. They were coming from the Lois in his memory.

"Clark!" Lois yelled, bringing him back to the present, and back to the situation he didn't know how to get out of. At least she'd pulled a towel around herself. He drew in a deep breath, and released it slowly.

"Sorry. I uh…sorry." He backed away to the door, but paused when he saw the red scars on her leg, six dots where the pins had been on either side of her thigh, and noted the way she was holding it, as if she was in pain again.

"Lois, are you sure you're okay?" He asked, concerned that she'd fallen and done some more damage to her leg.

"Yeah I uh…I slipped getting into the tub. No big deal." She shrugged, then winced as she tried to stand up.

Without thinking, Clark closed the door behind him, and walked back over to her. He wasn't sure exactly what made him do it and he knew he was going to catch hell for it, but he couldn't stand to see her like this. So he lifted her into his arms, carefully keeping the towel in place, and lowered her into the water. Her sigh as the warmth hit her, told him that he'd done the right thing.

She looked up at him, but said nothing. Her eyes were full of shame and embarrassment and he hated it. Cupping her cheek, he smiled. "Lois, I'm here for you. Whatever you need."

She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Thanks Smallville. But uh, I think I can take it from here."

"Okay, give me a shout when you want to get out." He replied, backing away to the door again. When she opened her mouth to protest, he raised his hand. "I promise not to look, and I'll be a complete gentleman. But I don't want you to fall again."

"Okay." She replied quietly, her voice croaking a little.

Once outside, he took a moment to calm himself, the image of Lois naked was burned into his mind, and as he made way back downstairs, he knew that it wasn't going to disappear anytime soon. He went back to his previous task of making dinner, a small smile tugging at his lips.

* * *

After darkness had fallen upon Smallville and the movie had finished playing, Clark turned the TV off and glanced over at Lois. Fast asleep, her head was resting on his shoulder, her leg propped up on a couple of pillows on the sofa. She looked exhausted, he thought, not for the first time today.

When he'd helped her out of the bath earlier, his heart had melted at the way she'd just given in to him and let him help her. It was a rare moment, but one he knew meant a lot. She trusted him.

"Lois." He whispered in her ear, trying to rouse her so that she could go to bed. After shaking her shoulder, she still didn't stir, which told him exactly how tired she was. So he stood up, and lifted her up, trying not to put any pressure on her bad leg.

He carried her through the house, into the dining room where her bed still was, and set her down gently. Pulling the sheets around her, he found himself staring at her, unable to look away.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and latched onto his. But she didn't look mad or embarrassed, like earlier. She'd been practically mortified at the thought of him seeing her naked again. No, this time, there was a slight smile gracing her beautiful face.

"Goodnight Smallville," She whispered, grabbing his hand. He twisted his hand around so that his was holding onto hers, smoothing his thumb over the back of it. He reached out and brushed some hair away from her forehead, and her eyes started drifting shut again.

"Night Lois."


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chapter Twenty Three**_

"_I'd like to see Oliver do this…_" They were soaring through the night air, the moon shining high in the sky, the wind whipping through her hair. Then they landed softly on Oliver's balcony and Clark spun her around. "_What'd you say about a dorky farm boy?_"

Just as Lois felt herself smiling, the scene abruptly ended, just as it always did lately. Anytime she had a vision from the Valentine's Day she had no memory of, it ended before she could find out anything new. Though seeing him take them on a super leap was spectacular enough that she didn't mind seeing it over and over.

But it was so frustrating. What actually happened that day? Did she really want to know? She scoffed at herself, of course she wanted to know.

Sighing, she returned her attention to her work, glancing down at her desk, she saw that she was almost finished with her article and the deadline was still a few hours away. She threw her pencil down and leaned back in her chair, stretching out her arms as her eyes fell on the empty desk opposite hers.

Clark had vanished over an hour ago and she hadn't heard anything from him since. A smile did appear when she'd heard that a house fire had been miraculously put out and lives had been saved. The Red-Blue-Blur was really making a name for himself, she thought.

She was proud of Clark, taking the gifts he had and using them to help mankind. Each time he went out and made a save, she had to force herself to keep quiet, when all she really wanted to do was run up to him and hug him so tight her arms went numb.

"Lois?" She turned her head towards the voice, but her eyes didn't focus. "Lois, are you alright?"

"Oh Smallville," She snapped to attention. "There you are." _Think Lois, say something, anything._ "Where have you been?"

"I had a couple of errands to run." He said staring at her. She absently touched her hair, wondering what he was staring at.

Over the last two months, things had become strangely comfortable between them after she had finished with her therapy and her leg was all better. But during her convalescence, she hadn't been so easy going. Since he'd already seen her naked on a few occasions, Lois had reluctantly let him help her when she'd needed to get upstairs and take a bath or shower.

Though he was always a gentleman and made sure that she was covered with a towel before he touched her. Which she was grateful for. And he'd been nothing but supportive through her physiotherapy. Though things hadn't always run smoothly, and she admitted that her temper had gotten the best of her a few times.

One occasion being when Clark had returned home from work to find an empty house, he'd eventually found her, walking without the aid of the one crutch she'd been using, in one of the fields.

"_Lois, what are you doing?" He asked, sternly and she turned around to see him catching her up fast, her crutch that she'd thrown to the side, now in his hand._

_"I'm baking a cake, what does it look like?" She said sarcastically, turning back around and continuing to hobble forward. Albeit slowly._

_"Lois, you know you shouldn't be out here. You're only going to make this worse on yourself."_

_"You know what Clark, I am sick of being stuck in that house, I'm sick of not being able to walk on my own two feet, and I am sick of having to rely on…" She snapped her mouth shut, because even as frustrated and angry as she was, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. And she had a feeling that bringing his friendship duties into question when he'd done nothing but help her, would do that._

_"I know Lois, I really do. But you're pushing yourself too hard too fast. This is not going to help you." He replied, his voice almost pleading with her to listen to him._

_"But I can do this Smallville, it's a simple case of mind over matter. No pain no gain."_

_"Is that something you learned on the base?" He spat, his tone making her stop and stare in shock._

_"I'm sorry Lois but ever since you got home from the hospital, you've been talking like you're in the military, like a soldier whose life is over unless you force yourself to heal. Well guess what? You can't force this! You're only human, and you will heal. You just have to give it some more time. Your therapist says you're making good progress, so why do this and run the risk of ruining all of that?"_

_He was right, she knew that, but she wasn't going to admit it. She just stood there staring at him, mainly because the way he'd just spoken to her had sparked something inside that she couldn't ignore. The forcefulness of his tone had definitely made him more appealing, and she inwardly winced, hoping that she wasn't about to turn into one of those girls who thought a strong, dominant man was a turn on._

_"Because I can't stand this Clark." She replied softly. "I need to be me again."_

_What he did next shocked her. Instead of yelling or coming back with an answer she didn't like, he moved forward and hugged her. Just…hugged her. No words, just physical contact, which she knew she should pull away from, but she couldn't._

_Here in his arms, was the most wonderful place she'd ever been. And she cursed him for making her realise that. She was turning into a sap. Eventually though, enough of her brain started working again and she stepped back, reaching out for her crutch with a disgusted look._

_"I hate this thing." She grumbled._

_"I know, but it won't be for much longer. And I…" He trailed off, his eyes falling to the ground._

_"You what?"_

_"Well, the way you've been about this whole thing, getting shot and being in the hospital, which I know you hate, and then having to…" Slowly, he looked up, his face shy. "I'm proud of you Lois."_

"Lois? Anyone home?" He asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hmm? Oh sorry Smallville, did you say something?"

He frowned at her, narrowing his eyes for a moment as if reading her. Then he said. "I asked if maybe you wanted to go grab some lunch? If you're hungry that is?"

"Uh…" She looked down at her desk. "Yeah, I could go for some lunch…" She grinned up at him. "If you're buying."

He rolled his eyes. "Why break the habit of a lifetime?"

"Exactly Smallville, you're learning fast." She chuckled, grabbing her jacket and purse.

* * *

"You know, it's a shame you can't make it tonight." Lois commented, before taking a bite of her ham and swiss panini. She watched him as she chewed, wondering whether that look on his face was genuine regret or him trying to think up an excuse. "It sounds like an event not to be missed."

He placed his mug down and leaned his chin on his hands. "Yeah I know but I have some things to take care of for our neighbour. Ben's a nice guy and he's been ill recently so I'm helping him fix his tractor."

_A tractor, seriously? He couldn't think of anything better than that?_ She sighed. "Well, this event has Lois Lane written all over it. Edward R Murrow Press Society. Does it get any better than that?"

Clark chuckled. "Well, you're a great reporter Lois, you deserve this."

"Thanks but…" She paused, noticing a far away look appear on his face.

"Lois, I'm really sorry but I uh…need to go and make a quick phone call…"

"Now?"

"Yeah uh…I'll be right back." He flashed her a brief smile and got up, heading for the door like the place was on fire. She wondered what emergency had popped up now.

Wait, how had he known…? Could he hear it? _Whoa_. The list just kept growing didn't it? Obviously she could now add super hearing to it. She wondered what else there was?

"Uh-oh, I've seen that look before." A voice said next to her, she glanced up and smiled.

"Nick? What brings you to this part of town?" She asked as leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I'm visiting a relative and I've been sent on a run for some maple donuts." He chuckled. "Guess you're not the only one that likes them huh?"

"Well, they are to die for." Lois replied.

"They certainly are, this is the only place I buy them from. They're simply amazing." Lois laughed as he opened his bag and inhaled, then sighed dramatically. "So tell me, where did your hunk run off to? Did I scare him away?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "No, he went to make a phone call."

"Aw, that's too bad." Nick said as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Boy he sure is something to look at though huh?"

"You're not wrong there. But he's…complicated."

Nick frowned. "So you two aren't…? You know…?" He said, smiling suggestively.

"No! Not at all, we're just…friends."

"Sweetie, friends don't look at each other the way you two do, I could feel the sexual tension before I even walked in the door." He laughed. "So uh…how's the leg?"

Lois chose to accept his hasty change in subject, because she didn't want to think about the other thing. Sexual tension? Her and Clark? Nah. Those were two things that did not mix.

"It's great, all back to normal. You don't know how good it feels to be able to go running, to do all the things I used to be able to do. I guess I owe it all to you don't I? For pushing me…"

"I may have played a small part, but I think someone else should get the credit. You struck me as the kind of woman who wouldn't give up no matter what and while that's an admirable trait, it wouldn't have done you any favours during that time. You were too hard on yourself, I think Clark helped balance that out."

"Maybe…" She muttered. Then she felt Nick's hand cover hers on the table. She looked up, his face was serious.

"Lois, do yourself a favour, don't think too much about this. Just go with your heart. I've learned the hard way that if you wait too long, you end up missing your window of opportunity and spend the rest of your life wondering what could've been."

She scoffed. "Rest of your life? Aren't you like thirty?"

"So not the point and you know it. In the short time I got to know you, I could tell that you're the kind of person that likes to keep her heart hidden, protected behind a mass of walls. But that is only going to lead you to one place. And trust me, it's not a happy one."

As Nick's smile faded, Lois realised that he had been hurt in the past. "Speaking from experience huh?"

"More than I'd like." He replied solemnly. "But you have the power to do something here Lois. It's clear that he's smitten by you. I could tell every time he came to pick you up at the hospital, I've seen actual boyfriends and husbands be less attentive and sweet than he was. I know you say you're just friends but…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry but I just don't buy that. You can't fake that kind of chemistry and believe me honey, it's there."

Something strange hit Lois right in the centre of her chest, was it hope? Maybe. Maybe Nick was right.

"Whoever he was, he's a fool Nick." She said, her eyes boring deep into his to get her meaning across. He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Thanks Lois. But I'm afraid that _I_ was the fool. Don't make the same mistake I did, don't let him go too easily. Something tells me he's special…" He winked and laughed out loud, trying to lighten the mood and said. "Anyway, I've gotta get these to my grandma, she'll be calling the police to look for me soon. But don't be a stranger Lois, I'd like to know how it works out between you two."

As he got up, Lois quickly jotted down her number, and handed it to him."Thanks Nick, for everything."

* * *

At the Edward R Murrow Press Society, Lois Lane was standing outside, frustrated and getting more so by the minute.

"If you're not a member of the Press Society, you won't be on my list." The woman holding a clipboard said in annoyance.

"Check again. 'Lois Lane'. I've written a hundred stories for the Daily Planet, I'm sure you've heard of it."

The woman rolled her eyes impatiently, irking Lois even further. "_It_ I've heard of, you…not so much. Again I'm sorry."

_Yeah, you look real sorry_, Lois thought.

"Okay, obviously there's been some sort of a mistake. It's not like I squeezed into five inch booted heels for my health."

"Miss Lane, there's simply nothing I can do."

_Okay, that's it_. "Actually there is. You can tell Edward R Murrow that he can kiss this cub reporter's sweet little a…"

"Lois!" A voice shouted from behind, interrupting her.

"Chloe, thanks for coming. The gargoyle at the gate was letting in everyone but me."

Chloe chuckled and took her arm, leading her away. "Come on Lo, my car's parked around the corner."

"That was _the_ event for journalistic achievement and Lois Lane isn't even a plus one."

Chloe snorted. "Lois, you're an amazing reporter."

"Correction…_was_ an amazing reporter. You're only as good as your last story and I wrote mine so long ago, it was practically with a feather pen. I need that news splash, the pregnant man or an impeached president." She flashed Chloe a smile. "Or better yet, a rendezvous with a superhero."

Lois watched Chloe's eyes narrow in suspicion. "I thought you gave up on the costumed crusaders after the Red-Blue-Blur ignored your letter, begging for an interview."

Lois grinned, okay so she may have gotten a little carried away a couple of weeks ago. But, she wanted to let Clark know that Lois Lane was interested in getting some one-on-one time with Metropolis' newest hero. If she couldn't get Clark to open up, maybe she could get to the RBB.

It wasn't that she wanted to expose him, or make him tell her his secret. She just really wanted to know what made him do the things he does. What made him tick. She wanted to know what was in his heart. And if getting close to the blur was a way to do that, she wasn't going to say no.

"Well, I guess he has other things to do with his time huh? Can't expect him to come running just because I asked him to." She shrugged.

Chloe nodded lightly, avoiding eye contact, Lois noticed, and kept walking. "I'm sure he wasn't ignoring you exactly, but like you said, he's a busy guy."

If ever Lois needed confirmation that Chloe knew about Clark, she was getting it now. Chloe was acting as shifty as a kid who'd been caught shoplifting.

"It's a shame Smallville couldn't make it tonight." Lois mused. "I wonder if he would've been able to get in, you know, since he is Tess' golden boy."

Chloe laughed. "I don't think this is exactly his scene Lois."

"Maybe not." She replied, thinking that Clark would've definitely seemed out of place there.

"Come on Lo, I'm parked illegally." Chloe walked on ahead as Lois paused, holding onto a wall to keep her balance.

"Ugh, hold on, these boots are silent killers."

As she wiggled her toes around, trying to get some feeling back into them, she heard Chloe's voice shout out.

"No, let me go! Lois!"

"Chloe!"

She took off at a run, and when she reached the corner, she saw a guy trying to wrestle Chloe's purse from her hands. Chloe held on, but before Lois could reach them, he lashed out, hitting Chloe and knocking her to the ground.

Seeing red as Chloe hit the floor unconscious, Lois kicked out, her foot connecting with the back of his knee, knocking him off balance so that she could thrust her elbow into his face. He fell to the ground but as she moved forward, she felt two arms grab her from behind.

So she threw her head back, felt it connect with the other guy's nose and turned around, punching and kicking as much as she could. He went down hard, hitting the concrete with a thud as the roar of an engine made them both look to their left. The first guy, the one who'd hit Chloe, was taking off in her car.

Lois looked back down at the man who was now on his knees, trying to get up.

"This one's for your friend." She said, kicking him in the face, laying him out on his back. She jabbed the heel of her right boot into his chest, pinning him down.

"Who the hell are you? Some sort of superhero?" He asked, spitting blood out of his mouth.

Lois smiled down at him, a plan forming in her mind. "You bet I am." She said in a low voice. "Call me…Stiletto."


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter Twenty Four**_

"Jimmy I'm sorry okay? I'll be home soon I promise." Chloe stood up from her hospital bed and switched her cell phone over to her other ear. Her head was throbbing and her cheek hurt like hell but she wasn't going to hang around here when she could be at home with her husband. Or better yet, out helping Lois track down the new mysterious hero in town. "No, don't come down here, I'm fine really. I'm on my way now."

She smiled at his answer, then felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw her doctor smiling at her, but her eyes were serious.

"Mrs Olsen, you took a pretty hard hit to the head. You should stick around for observation."

"I appreciate that, but I do have to go." Chloe said.

Turning her back on the doctor, who rolled her eyes and walked off, she smiled down the phone. "No Jimmy I really am okay. Look, how about you meet me at the Ace of Clubs, we can have a drink and a chat and just…chill for the evening huh? Yeah, I feel fine. Okay, great." Heading for the exit, she finished her conversation with Jimmy and saw Clark walking towards her in a hurry.

"Hey, how you feeling?" he asked when he reached her.

"Like my head was used as a battering ram. But I'm okay." She reached out and pressed the call button for the elevator and turned to face Clark as they waited.

"Is everything okay with you and Jimmy? I haven't heard from you in over a week. Is this what it takes to get a call back from you these days?" he said with a smile.

"Yeah, sorry about being the invisible best friend lately but…" she grinned. "married life is…you know…busy. Not to mention Watchtower needing my constant attention. I had no idea it was going to be so much work and Oliver's in Syria sort of incommunicado with the rest of the world."

"He's been there for a while. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, as far as I know though he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get back," she replied. "Which is why I'm glad you're here. I have a problem. My laptop was in my backseat when the carjacker peeled away." She paused, looking sheepish. "I've been using it to update my Watchtower databases from home."

Clark groaned. "Chloe…"

She held up her hands. "Look, before you bite my head off, I know…I admit, I shouldn't have taken my work home with me. But I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Jimmy, this was the easiest way. I'm sorry. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing isn't it?"

"Just tell me it was encrypted."

Chloe looked down at the floor, feeling worse by the second, then nodded. "But not unhackable."

Sighing, he said. "Okay, I'll find your computer. Did you get a good look at the mugger?"

"I got a good look at the asphalt after he hit me. But there's something else you should know. When I came to in the ambulance, Lois was raving about some mysterious heroine who swept in and saved the day. Stiletto?"

Clark frowned. "Must be some kind of knife expert. Wait, Lois was there?"

Chloe couldn't help but smile at the sudden show of concern. After all, he had been there with Lois at the hospital pretty much every day after she'd been shot, he'd helped get her back on her feet afterwards and Chloe had been surprised when she and Jimmy had returned from their honeymoon to find that Lois had actually started leaning on him a little.

She knew Lois was independant so to see her so reliant on Clark was definitely a shocker. Something had obviously changed while she'd been gone. Any time Lois' name was mentioned, Clark got this faraway look in his eyes, one that suggested his attention was no longer on the person in front of him. She wondered if he was aware that he was falling hard for her. Probably not, this was Clark after all.

"Yeah I went to pick her up at the press society. She wasn't exactly in high spirits due to the fact that they wouldn't let her in."

"That doesn't bode well for those of us who have to live with her." he said, grimacing.

Chloe chuckled. "I think she's got bigger fish to fry right now."

"Where is she anyway?" Clark asked, and as Chloe stepped onto the elevator, she chuckled.

"There may be a new super hero in town Clark. Where do you think she is?"

* * *

"Page ten! Why don't you just bury my Stiletto sighting with the classifieds while you're at it." Lois followed Randall out of the City Editor's office as he turned around, straightened his tie and fixed her with an annoyed look.

"The next time you pull me from a press society banquet, at least get me a story with a picture."

Lois inwardly winced; she'd known when she started this that people would want actual photographic evidence of Stiletto but she honestly hadn't thought that far ahead.

But really, something had to give.

Living with Clark, knowing what she knew about him, she needed to let him know that she respected what he did. That it didn't matter to her if he was super powered or not. Even if she could only do it with the Red-Blue-Blur, it was a start. Maybe she could get close enough to him so he would feel comfortable to tell her who he was someday.

She shook her head at herself, all those years she'd ridden him about being a simple farm boy, when all the time he'd been hiding this from the world, trying to blend in. He must've been very lonely.

All of a sudden, a lot of stuff began to make a lot of sense. The way he holed himself up in that barn, the way he was so protective of the people he was closest to. The Kents mysterious secrecy, which she'd always tried to ignore whilst living with them. His knack of always showing up just at the right moment whenever she'd been in danger.

It sort of even explained why he'd become her friend, he always looked for the best in people. And she had to be honest, she had always admired that about him.

A sensation came over her, one that was becoming entirely way too familiar as a wave of dizziness hit her, and she frowned as she saw the scene shift in front of her. Instead of seeing her editor in front of her or the Planet's bullpen, she was now standing in Clark's loft, watching as Clark walked up the steps behind her.

"_I thought you said, that telescopes were for geeks and stalkers_." His voice made her straighten up quickly and turn around.

"_Yeah well, as was proven over the last few days I can seriously misjudge people_."

Lois watched as Clark nodded and took a step towards her. She heard her own voice, talking, but she couldn't focus on the words, she was too intent on studying Clark. These visions had to mean something and she wondered what it was that she was missing. There had to be a common link somewhere. Something hidden…  
_  
"You're amazing Smallville_," She heard herself say. "_You always look for the best in people even when they walk all over you_." Inwardly, Lois smiled, that had been her way of giving him a compliment, but in true Lois Lane fashion, she'd had to make a dig at the same time.

"_I guess that explains why we're friends."_

"Oh we're friends now?"

"Well, I won't tell anyone if you don't."

His face was bright, smiling, and she felt a strange sensation of warmth flood through her chest, radiating outwards to the very tips of her fingers. This moment right here, had been the moment when they'd finally become full-fledged friends.

The moment where they'd let their guards down and genuinely wanted each other's company instead of merely tolerating it. Lois was a little surprised to realise now that, that moment, had been one of the most defining moments she'd ever had. Moving around so much when she was little left her with very few friends, and none she could really call a real friend. Clark however, he was the real deal.

Snapping herself back to reality, she realised her editor had stopped talking and was staring at her, waiting for an answer and she had to remember the question. What was it…oh yeah.

"Something tells me Stiletto has a bad case of camera shy." she said.

"She's not posing for a head shot. Ger her in action on the street." he replied. She followed him through the bullpen.

"Sure, no problem. I'll just ask to see her schedule of upcoming saves." Okay, this was just weird, talking about this hero, and it was _her_.

Randall smirked. "Wha…did I misjudge you Lane? I thought your game was all about the power of persuasion." The smirk disappeared. "Get the picture."

He stormed off, heading up the stairs, leaving Lois sighing in frustration. She headed over to her desk and picked up her phone, there was only one person who could help her with this, and he owed her big time with all his talk of her and Clark being perfect for each other.

"Lois." _Great, just what I need_, she thought. She put the phone down and turned to face Clark who was heading her way.

He didn't return her smile. He was straight down to business. "Chloe told me about the attack. She said you mentioned someone named Stiletto?"

_At least you've got his attention Lois_, she thought.

"Patience Smallville, Tomorrow you can drool over her with the rest of the world." Clark smirked and glanced down at her desk. Picking up her story, he started browsing through the document with eager interest.

"I'm fine by the way, thanks for asking."

Clark's hands stilled and he looked up at her, his eyes narrowing, as if assessing if there were any damage. "I'm sorry Lois, are you okay?"

His penetrating gaze unnerved her a little. "Uh…yeah I'm fine."

Nodding, he looked back down at the papers. "The Stiletto gave you all these quotes?"

"She was talkative." Lois replied, snatching them back.

Clark smiled. "I need you to put me in contact with her."

For a fleeting second Lois was starting to have second thoughts about the whole plan, but then she remembered what had happened between them in that awful place they'd been sent to, the way he'd almost told her the truth, and her resolve was strengthened.

She really felt that maybe he just needed someone to talk to. If she could get close, she could be that person. Besides, if she timed things just right, she might not even have to publish the article.

"Sorry, my eyes only Smallville." she said with a smirk.

"Look Lois this carjacker took Chloe's computer," Clark said, leaning on her desk as she sat down. "It has all of her Isis client information on it. If this Stiletto was the last person to see this guy, I _need_ to talk to her."

Conflicted, Lois didn't know what to do. This was her only real opportunity to get in contact with Clark's other persona, and that was important to her. "Look, if you wanna help Chloe, why don't you go downtown and talk to the thug they did catch? Maybe Stiletto left enough teeth in his mouth to rat out his buddy."

Clark straightened up. "Okay, but if I don't find anything out, I need you to put me in contact with this Stiletto. What did she look like anyway?"

Lois smiled and shrugged. "Dark hair, tall, beautiful. You know, a lot like me."

"She couldn't have been _that_ pretty." Clark muttered under his breath, his eyes widening ever so slightly in realisation of his words.

Lois' mouth fell open but he recovered fast. "I gotta go, uh do you need a ride back to the farm later?"

"Uh, no I'm good thanks." As Clark nodded and sauntered off towards the stairs, Lois found herself smiling. __

He thinks I'm pretty. Ugh! Stop it Lois, get your head in the game here. Okay, I need to find something to wear. She frowned_. Hmm, what would a superhero who wants to show the world she's a sexy bad ass, wear?  
_

_  
_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lois, what are you doing?" Jimmy asked in confusion as he walked into the dark alley Lois had called and asked that he'd meet her in. Well, she thought, demanded might be a better word for it. She hadn't really left him much choice.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she replied, setting up a fan in front of a stack of crates.

"Setting up for a modelling shoot in a back alley isn't exactly your style Lane." Jimmy snickered. "But seriously, what are you doing? I can't be late. I'm meeting Chloe at the Ace of Clubs in ten minutes."

"Don't get your pants in a twist Olsen this'll only take a sec."

"What will?"

Lois turned around, letting the front of her black overcoat fall open. "Say hello to Metropolis' newest superhero."

As Jimmy's eyes nearly popped right out of his head, Lois was satisfied that her outfit was of the jaw dropping variety. That ought to get Clark's undivided attention.

Although making it had been harder than she'd thought. But thankfully, she'd still had the leather suit from a Halloween party a few years ago when she'd dressed up as Catwoman. A few modifications here and there and a mask and hey presto, Stiletto was now a real person.

She took the coat off and climbed onto the stack of crates, striking a pose. "Okay, shoot."

"Shoot what? You?" he asked, shocked. "Lois, you can't be serious."

"Well not about the whole 'cleaning up the streets' part, obviously. But…I sort of quoted Stiletto in one of my articles and my editor said that I need a photo to get a page one."

Jimmy gave her a disappointed look that she tried to ignore. She didn't need to feel any worse about this. But she couldn't really tell him that she was going after Clark, so she would just have to let him believe that she was doing this to get a story. Even if it did make her look like the world's worst liar.

"Well I guess I didn't see the giant asterisk above 'Lois Lane's Rules to Reporting' that said 'or just make it up'"

"Hey, unlike you, some of us haven't gotten our up close and personal with the Red-Blue-Blur yet. Now come on, shoot."

Jimmy did as he was told, but clearly wasn't happy about it. "Does Clark know about this?"

She scoffed. "What do you think?" She crouched and then jumped down onto the floor, the flash from Jimmy's camera lighting the entire alley up.

As Jimmy stopped and flicked back through the pictures, he sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing Lois."

"So do I Jimmy." She murmured to herself, then turned back to him, her bravado plastered on thickly. "Now, email those photos to my editor, I'm off to talk to a real hero."

* * *

Jimmy walked into the Ace of Clubs and stopped just inside the doorway. The place was deserted except for a couple of guys sitting at a table near the open balcony doorway. He made his way over to the bar, ordered his drink and took out his cell phone. Just as he was about to dial, it started ringing.

Smiling, he hit the button. "Hey beautiful, where are you? I thought we were gonna meet here. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine Jimmy but listen, uh something's come up and I need to deal with it. I'm really sorry, but can I ask for a rain check?" Chloe asked.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, worried that something else was wrong. She had already been attacked once tonight.

"Yeah everything's fine I just have a few things to follow up on here at Isis. I'm sorry…"

"No it's cool, I was helping Lois research an article anyway, I might head back to the Planet and see how she's doing."

There was a pause. "What was she researching?"

"It's nothing that can't wait till I see you at home." he replied, not wanting to get into the whole Stiletto thing over the phone. Besides, what Lois did was her own business, he just hoped she wasn't getting in over her head.

"Okay well," She paused again, hesitating. "I'll see you in a little while then, I love you."

"Love you too." He hung up and looked down at his drink. Well, might as well finish that first, he thought, draining the glass.

"Thanks man." He pushed the glass back over to the bartender and made his way back to the door when someone bumped into him.

"Sorry."

The man he'd shoulder bumped, wheeled around, a nasty bruise making one of his eyes partially closed and an air of drunken hostility coming off him. Clearly he'd had a few and his friend didn't look much better either. "You need glasses or something boy?"

"No uh, like I said, I'm sorry." Jimmy murmured, hoping to avoid a confrontation.

"You're sorry." The man said with a chuckle, then looked at his friend. "He's sorry. Yeah I just bet you are." He reached out and snatched Jimmy's camera from his hands. "What do we have here huh?" he asked, flicking through the pictures. "Nice! Blondie's prettier when she smiles."

"Give me my camera back." Jimmy said, holding his hand out.

"You know, I much prefer her like this," he said, indicating the photo. "Not as pretty when her mug's polishing the sidewalk."

A flash of anger worked its way through Jimmy's body as he realised that this must be the person who'd mugged his wife earlier. Without thinking, Jimmy launched himself at the man, aiming to give him a shiner to match the other one, but his friend stepped in the way, nailing him with a swift punch to the side of the head. He saw stars for a minute, shook his head and glared at them.

"You mugged my wife."

"Did I now?" The man was rather smug about the revelation. "Small world huh? Hey, wait a minute…" His smile faded as he continued looking through Jimmy's photos. He turned the camera around and pointed at the screen. "Do you know her?"

Jimmy shook his head, barely glancing at the picture of 'Stiletto'. "No, that's just a fluke."

The man took a deep breath, as if trying to keep his temper. "Where is she?"

Jimmy stayed silent, he wasn't about to give Lois up to the same thugs who'd attacked Chloe. Sure she'd taken care of them once, but maybe next time she wouldn't be so lucky.

"I said where is she?" When Jimmy still didn't reply, the man nodded to his friend.

As he stepped forward with a wicked gleam in his eye, Jimmy had one thought go through his mind. This, was going to hurt, and Lois Lane owed him big time.

_  
_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Chapter Twenty Five**_

_How do I get myself into these things_, Lois thought to herself as she stood in front of the broken jewellery store window in Metropolis. After leaving Jimmy to email the photos of herself to her editor, she'd gone back to the Planet to finish up a few things.

When she'd heard the police scanner go off, she'd grabbed her gear and raced out of the bullpen as fast as she could, hoping that she would be fast enough to, at the very least, catch a glimpse of Clark in action. That sure would be a sight, she'd thought. Getting into her suit was a little trickier than she'd thought it would be, but she managed it.

She turned away and started walking, pausing when she heard the squeaking noise coming from her legs. Her leather suit was rubbing, creating friction that didn't sound so good.

"Wonderful, very stealth Lois." She peered around the corner, looking for any signs of the Red-Blue-Blur, then groaned. "Next time I call myself Nike." These heels were killing her. Why she had to go for the five inch ones, she'd never know. But then Stiletto had to look the part, didn't she?

As she turned another corner, she came upon an unconscious man, sitting up against a wall with a drainpipe wrapped around him, trapping him. Obviously he was one of the robbers.

"He beat me here." she said to herself, amazed but not really surprised, as she moved closer to get a better look at Clark's handiwork.

"Hello?" She called out. He had to be around here somewhere. "Are you here?"

Then she heard his voice, so deep, so business-like. Not at all like the bantering Clark she knew. "Are you The Stiletto?" he asked.

What could she say? _Think Lois. Okay what would a groupie of the Blur say_? She smiled and turned around as she spoke. "Can I just say its an honour."

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "Lois?"

_Dammit! Okay, stay calm_. Drawing a deep breath, she put both hands on her hips, and smiled, imitating what she thought was a pretty decent English accent. "Lois, who's Lois? I'm Stiletto."

Clark blinked rapidly, he wasn't sure what was going on here but seeing Lois dressed like that and hearing her put that accent on was sexy as hell. He'd never seen her looking so…amazing.

Her skin tight leather outfit accentuated each and every curve, the heels adding length to her already long legs, the cape was a nice touch and the front…well, he got a nice view of her cleavage, which made him a little uncomfortable in his own clothes.

A vision hit him then and it hit him hard. It was Lois wearing another leather outfit, this one red and he remembered it well. He shook his head to dispel the image and stared at her. Suddenly, his pants felt as if they'd shrunk a couple of sizes and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I should get back to my cave." she said, almost purring and the soft lilt in her voice was doing something strange to his insides. As she strutted towards him like a model on a runway, he stepped to his left, blocking her exit.

"Lois you could have a bag over your head and I'd still know it's you." She tried to step around him but he stayed with her. He reached up and took off her mask.

"Go figure, I want the Red-Blue-Blur and I get the _exact _opposite."  
_  
Oh you have no idea Lois_, he thought to himself. "What do you think you're doing?"

She snatched her mask out of his hand. "What am I doing? I thought you were trying to track down Chloe's laptop. What are you doing here?"

"I heard this over the police scanner, thought maybe I could get a glimpse of this Stiletto and see if she could tell me anything about Chloe's attackers." He hated lying, but he had no choice since Lois was clearly already putting herself in danger. No need to add to it.

"Obviously you heard the same thing." he said as she stepped around him and started walking out of the alley. "Look Lois, I know how badly you want this story but impersonating The Stiletto?"

She wheeled around, forcing him to step back a little. "Okay, first off…" she said heatedly, jabbing him in the chest. "it's just Stiletto there's no _The_. And second, I'm not impersonating anyone. I am Stiletto."

Clark frowned, she was Stiletto? Wait, she couldn't be… "You made up a fake hero so you could write her story?" As much as he knew Lois and her determined streak to get a story, he had to admit he was disappointed. He never thought she'd go that route.

"Yeah." she replied, sobering a little.

Lois walked away, unable to take seeing that look in his eye and unwilling to tell him why she was really doing this. But he followed her. So she had to keep her façade going.

"Stiletto's only the beginning Clark. These heels could kick open some major doors for me." She glanced to her left at him, and had a thought. "What if Stiletto could help me land a one-on-one with the Red-Blue-Blur?" It felt so strange to be talking about him like he was another person, when he was walking alongside of her. Oh she just wished he would tell her already, then all this secrecy could be put to bed and they could move on.

"Oh this Blur he…he avoids reporters for a reason. What would you say to him no one else already has?"

Lois stopped and turned to face him. "I wouldn't say anything Clark." she said softly. "I'd listen."

Clark stared at her for a few moments, and she had to wonder what he was thinking besides how much of a disappointment she was. Shaking her head, she sighed, she would not let that get her down. Not right now.

"What if he's not looking for a best friend?" Clark asked.

"Super-powered or not, every Fred needs a Barney." Clark seemed to take a few moments to think about that and she hoped that she'd managed to convey to him just how much she wanted to be there for him.

"Unless it's based on a lie." he said. Lois exhaled through her nose and started walking again. But he was right at her heels. "Besides it could be dangerous. Eventually you'll find yourself in a situation you can't Stiletto yourself out of."

"Stiletto kicked ass last night. You shoulda seen the guy I sent downtown."

"I couldn't. By the time I got there, some attorney named Mornahan already got him out before I could talk to him about Chloe's car."

Lois spun around and stopped. "Chris Mornahan?"

Clark nodded, blankly. "He represents Ron Milano." she said.

"The biggest crime boss in Metropolis," Clark said, finally catching on.

"Then let's go save the world." Lois said, itching for a chance to see Clark in action. "I'm in the market for a sidekick anyway, just don't slow me down."

But Clark was having none of that. She wondered if it was because he wanted to keep his secret safe, or if it was just about her safety. Either way, she couldn't really blame him.

"I'll find Milano on my own. You're gonna do everything you can to make sure your Stiletto story doesn't get published."

He walked off, leaving her standing there feeling awful. She should never have started this, she thought. But what other choice did she have if she wanted to get close to Clark? Blurting things out may be her nature, but she couldn't exactly tell Clark the truth about why she was really doing this.

She began walking away, but had to grab onto a nearby drainpipe as another vision swam into view. This one was recent. And she grimaced as she wondered what the point of reliving it was.

"_Do you love him?" The jeweller asked. She looked at Clark, hating that she was being forced into this. But seeing no other option unless she wanted to kill him, she cried._

"Yes."

The silence that followed was deafening and she couldn't look him in the eye. But then, she scene shifted and she was seeing things from a different angle, almost as if she were there, but hovering above them, looking down.

The jeweller moved over to Clark, posing the same question. "_And you, do you love this woman?" _

Lois squinted her eyes, trying to study Clark's expression as he looked over at her sitting in her chair. He looked back at the jeweller nervously, then back at her. "_No_."

She closed her eyes, both in the memory and now, hearing it again wasn't something she enjoyed. What was the point in hearing that again? More hurt, humiliation? No, something was different, she was feeling…

She looked at Clark, there was something in his eyes…confusion? Wait…the machine had gone off, it thought he was lying. Could he have been? She didn't know, and judging by the look on his face, he didn't either.

But his feelings…there was shock, confusion, but something else, lying just beneath the surface. Did he love her?

She didn't get a chance to see or feel anything else as the vision was cut off abruptly, leaving her a little breathless. She walked away on unsteady legs, thinking. Could Clark Kent love Lois Lane? Was it possible?

* * *

Clark stepped off the elevator at the Ace of Clubs, he could hear voices but he didn't know where they were coming from. Knowing that Ron Milano usually had a few business dealings going on in here, this was the first place Clark had thought to look.

He paused in the middle of the empty room, and engaged his super hearing. He could hear someone typing, talking about a mess of files he'd just unlocked. And they were close. He sped off in the direction of the voices and came to a room that had a large metal table in the middle, with heaps of cash lying on it.

As the gust from his super speed kicked up the money around him, he felt that sickening churn in his gut, rendering him still. The green kryptonite, which was obviously in the ink of the money, was now glowing and the agony was seeping through his entire body.

The next thing he saw, was a fist swinging his way, connecting with his face, knocking him to the ground. He caught a brief glimpse of his attacker, before his eyes fell upon a machine which they were using to make the money, with two rather large jars of liquid kryptonite lying next to it.

But as he lay there, pain flaring in each and every muscle, his eyes popped wide at who was lying unconscious and bleeding on the floor in front of him.  
"Jimmy."

* * *

Lois pulled up in her car, in front of the Ace of Clubs, hoping she could catch Jimmy before he managed to send her editor those pictures. Clark had been right, this story shouldn't be published, it was wrong, and his diatribe was still ringing in her ears, stinging a little.

But she still couldn't shake that damn memory, something was nagging at her, refusing to leave her alone.

As she walked towards the building, she forced it from her mind and then saw something lying on the pavement. Bending down to pick it up, she saw it was Jimmy's camera, the screen was smashed but she knew it was his because his name was on it. He always took great pride in his cameras.

Suddenly fearing that something had happened to him, Lois took the elevator up to the club and headed out onto the balcony. There were a few signs of a struggle, some chairs lying on their sides and a table with its glass counter top broken. Something had obviously happened. She stood up, and looked around, the place was empty, almost deserted. Where was everyone?

She glanced towards a fire escape that led up onto the roof, and she could hear voices yelling from that direction. Heading up the stairs, she quickly made her way down on the other side and stopped when she came to a skylight. Leaning over it, she saw someone in the room below, kicking the crap out of a guy lying on the floor.

"Oh my God." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Just as she was dialling nine-one-one, the thing went dead. "Seriously?" Of all the times for her battery to die.

She shoved the thing back into her pocket and watched as the thug bent down over the man he was beating. Then she heard him say. "Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. Well, looks like you reporters think you had a little story here."

Wait, the person lying on the floor was Clark? How was that possible? She saw him take another kick to the stomach and lurched to her feet, yanking open her jacket.

"Oh that's it." There was no way she was going to let him be beaten like this.

"Wow that's far." She muttered to herself, breathing deeply as she shrugged out of her jacket and slipped her mask back on.

The thug's voice drifted up to her, as did the cocking of the gun he was aiming at Clark's head. "If you want, I can tell you how it ends."

She took a few steadying breaths, which didn't help in the slightest and prepared. "Come on Lois."

Then, she jumped.

* * *

Clark clutched his gut as he stared down the barrel of the gun being pointed at his head. How was he gonna get out of this one? Not to mention save Jimmy. He didn't have much time to think up a plan as a crashing sound emerged, and a black figure dropped into view in a rain of glass above the man's head.

_No, Lois_? What was she doing? Trying to get herself killed? He waited for the inevitable thud that would sound when her body hit the floor but instead, he saw her foot shoot out, kicking Chloe's mugger right in the face, which sent him sprawling into the guy with the gun. She landed on her front and Clark was afraid that she was hurt.

"That worked." she said in amazement, which only told him that she had willingly put herself in danger to save him. Even at the cost of her own life. And though her entrance may have been nothing short of amazing, he didn't want her here. Her eyes caught onto Jimmy and she raced over to him, while Clark lay in agony, feeling useless.

"The Stiletto has no idea what she just stepped in." Clark glanced to his left, the thug was up, albeit leaning against a wall, bleeding from a head wound but pointing a gun straight at Lois. __

NO! He thought. Not again. Images of her lying on his barn floor bleeding in her cousin's arms swam through his head. Voices saying that she was crashing in the surgical theatre rushed through his mind. No, he would not watch her go through that again. He couldn't.

He struggled to his feet as the gun cocked. "LOIS!" He yelled, hearing the pain in his voice but he refused to let that stop him. She spun around, looking for him and as the gun fired, Clark knew he had to move fast. The problem was, the kryptonite was severely weakening him, how could he get to her in time.

He didn't think, he couldn't afford to. He just ran as fast as his legs would take him. At the last second, he leaped into the air, diving in front of her and then a pain so sharp he thought he was going to pass out, hit him in the side of the abdomen.

"CLARK!" Lois yelled, panicked as he fell to the floor, not moving. She made a move towards him, but then felt a gun pointed straight into the back of her neck. She froze, not knowing what to do next. She had to get to Clark.

At that moment, Jimmy's eyes snapped open and he got to his feet, grabbing the arm that held the gun and pushing him back into the wall. But the thug was too strong and Jimmy was hurt, he needed help. He managed to wrestle the gun from his grip, and slammed the man's head into the metal cabinet behind him.

But he soon gained the upper hand, squeezing his hands around Jimmy's neck. Lois grabbed a nearby jar and smashed it over the back of his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. As soon as he was out, Lois tore off her leather gloves and fell to her knees next to Clark. He was in so much pain, gripping his side as he writhed around on the floor. Jimmy crouched down and paled. "Oh my God."

"Dial nine-one-one." She ordered, he nodded numbly and ran off.

"What did you do…?" she asked, and she could feel the tears running down her face. But she didn't care, she was terrified. Somehow, she'd thought he was invincible, that he couldn't really be hurt. Or killed anyway. This was a terrifying wake up call. "Oh God Clark, what did you do…?"

"Lois…" he grunted through the pain. She cupped his cheek and held his head up.

"Why did you do that Clark? You didn't need to be some kind of hero." _You already are, to me_, she thought.

"Couldn't…let you…not again…" He gasped through the pain. Lois moved his hand away and cried out loud at the blood seeping through his white shirt. Oh God, this was all her fault. He could die because of her.

"Clark…" She didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. How could he be hurt? She'd seen how strong he was, how had this happened? As she looked down at him, she saw the deathly paleness of his face, and wondered if all his pain was entirely because of the bullet. It didn't appear to have hit anywhere near any major organs.

She looked around the room, there was a weird glow coming from the jars of green liquid, one of which had been smashed and its contents leaking out onto the floor, but other than that... Putting it out of her mind, she focused on Clark as he tried to speak.

"Lois… you have to get me…out of here."

She blinked back the fresh onslaught of tears, wondering if she should move him, but he seemed desperate to get out of that room. She nodded. "Oh…okay."

Jimmy came running back in, and Clark struggled to his feet, letting the both of them help him up. He was so heavy, but she held him up as much as she could as they walked him towards the exit.

"The ambulance is on it's way." Jimmy said as they settled him down outside. Once out of the room, his breathing had started to regulate, slowly. But he was still in a lot of pain. She kneeled down next to him and stared deep into his eyes.

"Clark, listen to me…you're gonna be fine okay? You have to be okay. Alright?"

"Lois…are you…hurt?"

"What?" she asked, shocked. He was lying on the ground bleeding because of her and he was asking if she was okay? She saw his eyes, weak as they were, sweep over her body, as if checking for injury.

"I'm fine Smallville, you don't worry about me. The ambulance is on its way. Jimmy, go and keep a look out for them." Jimmy hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave them alone. "Jimmy, please!"

"Okay." He ran off and headed out the door.

"Clark…" She started, but he cut her off.

"Lois…no ambulance."

"What? You're hurt Clark, you need to go to the hospital."

"No, please…just trust me…no hospital." Lois hesitated, staring down at him. "Lois, do you trust me?" he asked, his voice regaining some of its strength. His eyes bored deep into hers.

"Yes, I trust you."

"Then please, just get me back to the farm."

"Are you sure?" He struggled to sit up, but he wasn't as pale as before.

"Lois…take me home, please?"

She closed her eyes for a second, hating the vulnerability in his voice, but unable to ignore his request. Obviously, he knew what was best for him and if he said no hospital, then there had to be a pretty good reason.

"Okay Smallville, come on."

* * *

She unlocked the door and helped him inside. He shuffled over to the couch and sat down, still holding his side as she turned on all the lights in the farmhouse.

"Clark…" She lingered near the doorway, not really sure what she should do. She should've taken him somewhere he could be cared for, she had no idea what she was doing.

After running outside to tell Jimmy that the Red-Blue-Blur had swept through and Clark had vanished from her sight, she'd left him to take care of the ambulance and get some help for his own wounds, and quickly gotten Clark to her car.

During the ride home, he seemed to perk up a little, the colour slowly returning to his cheeks, though he was still in pain. She could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Lois, I'm okay I promise."

She walked into the living room, and sat down on the coffee table in front of him. "Let me see." she said, gesturing to his wound.

But he shook his head. "I'm gonna be fine Lois, I just need to rest a while."

"Clark, the bullet could still be stuck inside…"

"No I think it went right through, it's okay Lois." Without thinking, Lois pulled his hand away and saw that he was still bleeding.

"Clark, I need to look at that." She didn't wait for an answer, abruptly, she started peeling his shirt away and as he let her, she realised that he really wasn't invincible. It was an odd sensation, to know that he could be hurt. She didn't like it.

As she set his shirt aside, she glanced at the wound. It was a tiny little hole, but still bleeding a little. How could a bullet leave so little damage? She wondered. She got up and ran into the kitchen, grabbing a first aid kit from one of the cupboards. She tipped it out over the sofa and kneeled down in front of him. She worked quickly, sterilizing the wound, then placing some padding over it and eventually, sealing it up.

She did the same on the back, though the hole was a lot smaller and she thought it odd, exit wounds were usually bigger than the entrance wounds. But she didn't let herself think about it. As he settled back against the sofa, she sat down on the table in front of him again. He looked exhausted, and she wondered what else she could do to help.

"Thank you Lois." he murmured.

"I still think you should get yourself checked out at the hospital."

He reached over and took her hand and it wasn't until then that she realised that she was still shaking. Seeing him lying on the floor like that had scared her so much. She didn't want to lose him.

"Why did you throw yourself in there Clark?" she whispered, needing to know. "I mean it was sweet of you but…"

He sat up a little, squaring his shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Lois, I almost lost you once. I couldn't let that happen again."

"But you could've died."

"Lois listen to me…" he leaned forward slightly, wincing a little. "This wasn't your fault. And I'm okay, I really am."

She didn't know what it was, the softness in his voice or the look in his eyes, or maybe just the relief that he wasn't dead, but she felt the tears coming again. Fast. As one fell and trailed down her cheek, Clark wiped it away with his thumb and pulled on her hand, urging her to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close, drawing in a deep breath.

"Does it still hurt?"

"A little." She looked up and saw him frowning at his shirt and she wondered what he was staring so intently at. There was a green stain on it, and it was… _glowing?_

"Why don't I get you something comfortable to wear and throw this out?" she asked, a thought popping into her mind. It was crazy, but she couldn't stop it from forming. He nodded and released her.

"Thanks."

As she picked up his shirt and left the room, Clark felt his strength beginning to return. He knew he was in trouble here, he was going to have to tell her something. But he would deal with that tomorrow, he needed some sleep. He'd wondered why his wound hadn't healed when he'd left that room, but if some of the kryptonite had splashed onto his shirt, it would explain why he still felt ill.

When Lois returned, she was wearing jeans and a black silk looking shirt, and she was carrying one of his plaid shirts, he noticed how pale she was looking. She was still in shock, he thought as he saw her hands trembling slightly. Without speaking, Clark stood up and drew her into a hug. She stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed into his embrace, burying her head into the crook of his neck.

"I thought…" she whispered, trailing off as her voice broke.

"I know…" he replied, soothingly rubbing her back. He did know, it was how he'd felt after she'd been shot. So scared.

She raised her head and looked into his eyes. Time seemed to stop, everything faded away into the background as he felt his head lean down. His lips captured hers softly at first, testing the waters. When she responded by cupping his face, he pressed against her lips a little harder and then…

They both gasped, their breath stolen as their kiss deepened, a vision flashing through both of their heads.

One image. Valentine's Day. When he'd been on red kryptonite.

He was kissing Lois in Oliver's penthouse, and she was kissing him back just as hard. He wanted her. But what he felt…right now, coursing through his veins, was her own desire for him.

Lois squeezed her eyes shut, the image burning itself into her brain. Clark was kissing her, in Oliver's apartment. She gasped as she felt his tongue enter her mouth and she responded, drawing him closer. She didn't know where the vision ended and reality began, but as she got lost in his kiss, she didn't care. All she could feel was passion…and desire. Both his and hers. And it was intoxicating.

She felt him nudge her slightly, and they both fell onto the sofa, him on top of her. Yet all she could see was his grin as he stood before her in Oliver's apartment, cocky, self-assured. And she liked it.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **Because this chapter will have two interlinking scenes, to save confusion, lol because i got confused just writing it, the past memory that they're both recalling will be in italic and the present scene is in normal.

_**Chapter Twenty Six**_

_A moan escaped her lips as Clark's hips pressed into hers, trapping her against the cold glass as she started to remove his jacket. His head bent down, kissing her as he did the same. She didn't even notice where he threw hers. All she knew was she was in heaven. Clark's kiss was electric, his hands magic, making her skin tingle everywhere he touched.  
_  
Lying beneath him on the sofa, Lois was lost. She didn't know where the vision ended and reality began. Though she was very aware of what she was doing. She could feel him on top of her, yet the memory of their Valentines evening together was strong in her mind. Everything he felt that night so long ago, she was feeling now.

Clark kissed her passionately, his lips leaving her mouth only briefly to kiss a trail along her jaw line slowly and back up again. She couldn't help it, a groan came out. But it only seemed to fuel the fire as Clark sat up, pulling her into his lap. He placed a hand on the back of her neck, bringing her lips down to his.

She put her hands on either side of his face and deepened the kiss, a delicious ache radiating throughout her entire body. She wanted him, all of him, the farm boy and the hero. To her there were no two sides of Clark Kent anymore, there was only Clark. And she loved him for who he was.

_"I'd better make sure you didn't spell my name wrong." Clark murmured, smiling seductively as he pulled the side of Lois' shirt open to reveal the bright red heart tattoo just above her left breast._

It was an amazing sight. The words alone were enough to make his heart beat faster. Without saying another word, he bent down and effortlessly lifted her into his arms, and as he swung her around, she made a sound that sent a shiver down his spine as she ruffled her hair.

She was completely at ease with him, she trusted him, he realised. She'd seen who he really was and wasn't freaked out by it. He placed her down on the green chaise and hovered above her. Drinking in her beauty as she stared up at him, he was in awe.  
  
Clark felt Lois' hands move up to his chest, touching the bare flesh of his torso and he gasped into her mouth. He didn't understand what was happening, he knew he was sitting on the sofa in his living room, kissing her, but also, the memory from Valentines Day was playing itself out in his head, and he could feel her emotions. She'd wanted him as much as he'd wanted her.

He knew he should probably stop, that this wasn't right, but he couldn't, all he knew was that he never wanted to stop kissing her. The feelings he was getting from her in his vision spurred him on, making his moves bolder so he slowly, and cautiously started unbuttoning her blouse. When she didn't stop him, he carried on, kissing his way down her collarbone.

_Lois felt the air thicken between them as he stared down at her with lust. Then he reached out and ripped her shirt open, just tore it like it was nothing more than a piece of paper, sending buttons flying everywhere. She'd never seen this side of Clark before and it was strangely erotic to see him acting so confident._

Her eyes lingered on the golden skin of his broad, muscular chest, and she couldn't help the shiver of anticipation that went through her. He moved lower and brought his face up to her mouth, his lips touching hers ever so slightly, teasing her. She parted her lips, ready for his invading kiss but then his eyes flickered over to his left.

She knew something was wrong when he frowned and backed away. Reaching over to her jacket, which had landed on a lamp next to the chaise, Clark took out the invitation to Lana and Lex's engagement party.  
  
Clark knew something was wrong the instant he saw himself move away from Lois in his mind. On the sofa, she froze in his arms, her lips hovering just above his, her eyes slowly starting to open.

Wait, was she seeing this too?

She pulled back so that she was still sitting on his lap but there was a little distance between them, bracing herself against him with her hands on his chest. Then he saw himself take the invitation out of her jacket pocket, and he stood and walked away.

He closed his eyes for a moment, not wanting to see what he knew was about to happen. But it was a pointless effort, he saw it with or without his eyes open. He remembered this all too well, but Lois didn't. How was she seeing this now?

The hypnotist's voice sprang into his mind. "_Trust your emotions Clark, trust hers. See what you chose to ignore._" Well there was his answer.

_He stood there studying the invitation, a sense of anger and revenge taking over his mind, pushing the lust back. He hadn't even noticed Lois get up and gather the tattered remains of her button-less shirt around herself._

"I RSVP'd back before Oliver headed for the hills." she said, moving closer. He felt her grab his butt. "But now I've found a better way to occupy my night."

"What and disappoint the future Mrs Luthor? I don't think so. Besides…" he grinned. "It's not a party until someone crashes it."  
  
Clark heard Lois' gasp and he knew then that she had definitely been sharing the memory with him. He opened his mouth to talk, but the feeling of her disappointment in being left for Lana was too much for him to bear. She'd felt inadequate, like she wasn't enough for him. And realising it now, he felt horrible for putting her through that.

He hated who he became when he was on red kryptonite. He always managed to hurt someone when he was exposed. And Lois had been the one to get caught in the crossfire that time.

Slowly, the vision started dissipating, fading from view until all he could see was Lois sitting before him, cheeks flushed, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her open shirt hung loosely from her shoulders, allowing him to see her beautiful body.

Abruptly she shot up off his lap like she'd been burnt and walked into the kitchen.

After taking a few minutes to calm himself, because he could still feel her hands on his chest, her lips on his, he got up and made his way into the kitchen. She was standing in front of the sink, leaning against it and looking out of the window. Then she glanced down, and started re-buttoning her blouse. He wished she would say something, anything. He couldn't tell what she was thinking with her back turned to him.

"Lois?" he said quietly, but he noticed her jump a little. She turned around and stared hard at him, and he still couldn't read her expression. He wanted to pull her into his arms, kiss her again like he had only moments ago. They were going to have to talk about that at some point, but right now, she was putting off enough energy to make him postpone the discussion. Besides, there was something else going on here, something bigger than either of them knew.

"You saw that didn't you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, almost in a defensive manner and he didn't like it one bit. A minute ago they'd been all over each other and now it was like there was an invisible barrier between them, one he couldn't get through.

He didn't pretend to misunderstand her question and nodded his head.

"That means we…that we both…" She couldn't quite get her words out, he noticed as she swallowed hard. "We both saw the same thing."

Again he nodded.

"At the same time." she muttered, taking a few seconds to let that information sink in, then she gave him a half smile. "Well at least now we both know what happened that night. I always wondered…but I never thought we'd gone that far." she chuckled and he had the sense that she was nervous because she couldn't seem to stand still as she began rambling. "Wow that's weird isn't it? Both of us doing that and not remembering, I mean, Lois and Clark? That's insane right? Thank God it didn't go further than that though huh?"

"Lois," he murmured, leaving out the fact that he already remembered everything that happened. No need to make this situation any worse, he thought, moving closer to her but still giving her enough space to catch her breath. "How many times has this happened to you? All these blackouts you keep having, is each one a memory?"

Her face tightened up, and she didn't look very willing to answer his question. "I may have had a few."

"A few?" He asked with a raised brow. "This is to do with that hypnotist you saw at the carnival on your birthday isn't it?"

She shot him a look that he couldn't place. It wasn't total anger, but it wasn't far short of it. "Well what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You're obviously having them too. Or was that the first one? And how was it that we were both seeing the exact same image at the exact same time?"

Her eyes met his then, and he could see the confusion in them. But he could also see that she was trying desperately to hide the blush that was still creeping up her face. It was such a sexy thing that he had to look away before he did something he wasn't sure would be appreciated at that moment.

"I've had a couple." He had to be honest, there was no point in lying about it. Maybe if they talked about it, they could figure out how to stop it.

"How many is a couple?" She narrowed her eyes, but he didn't miss the way they briefly flitted downwards, and then he realised that he was still shirtless. But since he had none close to hand, and putting this conversation on hold was not an option, he had to remain that way. Sitting down at the counter in the middle of the kitchen, Clark gestured for Lois to do the same, but he wasn't surprised when she shook her head.

"I have a confession to make Lois. I went to see the hypnotist."

"You what?"

"I was worried about you, you were acting really strange and I wanted to find out what she did to you."

Lois drew in a deep breath, then released it slowly, as if trying to keep her patience. "And? What happened?"

"She did something to me. I don't know what happened, one minute I was sitting in front of her asking her about you, the next, she was snapping me out of some sort of daze."

Then something he hadn't expected, happened. Lois exploded. "What were you thinking? She could've done anything to you Clark!" Lois yelled and he wondered why she was getting so angry all of a sudden.

As he opened his mouth to reply, she pointed a finger at him. "And don't you dare tell me to calm down. I am calm, I'm just annoyed that you didn't think this through more clearly."

He frowned, what was going on? "Lois, what are you talking about? She's a hypnotist, it's not like she was gonna…"

"You don't get it do you?"

"Get what?" He stood up and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her still. But she was fuming and he had no idea why. "Lois, what did she do to you?"

She closed her eyes, and sighed. "I don't know alright? But whatever she did had a side effect. Every now and then, I get these…flashes…visions, of us."

"Us?"

"Yes! Memories of us okay?" Clark stiffened. Just how much had she seen of their Valentines tryst? What exactly did she remember?

"What were you thinking Clark?" she said heatedly, pulling away from him.

"I was looking out for you!" He yelled back, beginning to get frustrated with the way she was talking to him. Couldn't she see that he was only concerned for her? Why did she always have to make things so difficult.

"I don't need you to look out for me Smallville! What you did was stupid, that woman can see things, and you just put yourself smack bang in the middle of her radar."

Clark let out a growl. "What are you talking about?"

"You!" she shouted. "You put yourself in the hands of someone who could very well be able to see who you really are."

Clark's eyes widened. "Lois…"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I know Clark. I know about your powers…"

Clark was stunned into silence.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Chapter Twenty Seven**_

Lois snapped her mouth shut. _Nice, way to reveal your hand Lane, dammit_! After finding out that he had shared the same vision as her while they were kissing, she wanted to keep the knowledge of her knowing his secret…well a secret. She'd sworn she'd never tell him.

But now the cat was well and truly out of the bag and she couldn't take back what she had blurted out. She had dreamed up so many different ways of him coming clean, but not one of them involved him having to think up excuses to her when she admitted that she knew. Not one of them involved her actually _telling_ him that she knew.

She watched him as his mouth opened and closed, as he tried to think of something, anything he could say to tell her she was wrong. She wondered what kind of excuse he was going to come up with.

"Clark…" she murmured and her voice seemed to snap him out of his daze. Though he didn't speak. All he did was stare at her.

"You don't have to say anything Clark. I never meant for it to come out that way. I just…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

"Powers Lois? Seriously?" he said, making a slight scoffing noise but he sounded uncomfortable, like she'd hit a nerve. "Where on earth did you get an idea like that?"

Lois closed her eyes and drew some air deep into her lungs. Why was this so hard? Telling him what she already knew seemed so…like she was pushing for him to tell her. Which was exactly why she hadn't wanted to say anything.

With yet another curse, she opened her eyes and watched him as he went about putting his plaid shirt on, though he didn't bother with the buttons, as he started pacing around the kitchen. She walked over to him, grabbed him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"I _know,_ Clark." she said quietly.

He sank down onto a nearby stool next to the counter in the middle of the kitchen, looking a little defeated. "What do you know?"

_Okay Lois, truth time_. How ironic, she thought to herself. That she should be telling Clark the truth about_ his_ powers.

Pulling out the stool next to him, she placed herself directly in front of him so she could see his face, which at the moment was looking a little stunned and she couldn't blame him. This was a heck of a bombshell to drop on someone.

Maybe she should just play it off as a joke, let him off the hook until he felt ready to tell her himself. Open up on his terms, not hers. _Get real Lois, that's never going to happen. Look how freaked out he is now. No, you have to follow through on this otherwise nothing's ever going to change. _

"Okay, I know that you can run faster than a speeding bullet…" She stopped as he got up and started pacing around again, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't understand Lois, how can you know this?"

"Am I wrong?" she asked, standing up.

He looked over at her, and she could see the war waging in his eyes. _Come on Clark, just do it. _

Then his shoulders slumped. "No, you're not wrong. But how much do you actually know about me?"

Feeling a momentary pang of excitement, Lois hid a smile before replying. "Well, the speed thing, and um…oh yeah, I know you're strong. You can lift things that weigh a tonne without even breaking a sweat. How am I doing so far?"

His eyebrows went up as he nodded his head. "Pretty spot on so far. But you gotta help me out here Lois, how do you know all this?"

"The visions. Remember four years ago when Chloe was kidnapped and held at Summerholt?" He nodded as she walked over to him. "Well, I came in with Sheriff Adams and I saw you holding up two steel pillars like they were nothing more than feathers…what?" she asked when his face went from being stunned to outright shock.

"You shouldn't be able to remember that Lois."

"What? Why?"

"Because those memories were erased. Do you remember that guy who stole from the Talon right in front of you? Well he erased your memories, I don't understand how you can remember that day."

"Does it matter?"

"No I guess not."

"I uh…kinda also saw you move that tractor on Chloe's wedding day. I wasn't spying I promise, I was just getting some air and I saw you and…yeah…" She looked down at her feet.

"Okay." He blew out a breath, deciding to let that one go for now. "What else?"

"Well, I saw us together, on Valentine's Day…I mean before all the kissing stuff happened. I saw you and me on the roof of the Daily Planet and uh…then you uh…jumped into the sky with me in your arms."

His eyes widened for a second before he slumped back against the counter, taking in everything she had said. As the silence stretched out between them, Lois fiddled with the hem of her shirt, feeling awkward. Her and her big mouth. Why did she never learn to think before she spoke.

"You saw everything about that day?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. She looked up to see him watching her with a curious expression.

"I think so. Why, is there something else I should know?"

He scoffed. "Lois, there's a lot you don't know about me."

She stepped forward and grabbed his hand, waiting until he looked into her eyes before she said. "Then tell me."

Clark stared at her for a few moments, his head reeling from what she'd told him. He knew she was getting memory flashes like he had been, but he had no idea that those memories could actually reveal his true nature to her.

Every time she'd ever witnessed his powers, she hadn't been able to remember it and for that he had been grateful. He'd never wanted to add her to the list of people who knew because her life would be turned upside down by it. And she was a good person, she didn't deserve that.

But looking into her hazel eyes now, so soft and caring, he knew he couldn't protect her from the truth any longer. The only problem was, where did he begin.

He cleared his suddenly dry throat. "How much do you know about my powers?"

"Just that you can run really fast, you have super strength and I'm guessing…super hearing too?"

"How could you possibly know that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just a hunch."

She amazed him, she knew he had abilities, yet she wasn't at all freaked out by it.

_Amazing_.

"Is there more?" she asked, one brow raised as she leaned back against the counter opposite him, mirroring his position.

"Where do I start?" he said to himself.

"How about at the beginning." she replied with a smile so bright he found himself returning it.

"Well you know about the strength, the hearing and the speed." He paused for a moment, watching her carefully. "I also have heat vision, where rays of heat shoot from my eyes…" He heard her quiet gasp despite how much she tried to hide it by covering her mouth with her hand. He decided to carry on, getting this out of the way as quickly as possible. Like pulling off a band-aid. "I have super breath, and x-ray vision-"

"Wait, hold on a second. X-ray vision? Is that what I think it sounds like?" He saw her eyes flare for a moment and wondered what she was thinking. When she unconsciously raised her hands to her chest, he knew.

"Lois, I have to focus to be able to see through things. I would never invade someone's privacy with it. Same goes for the super hearing."

Slowly, she nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"I can hold my breath under water for a long time so I guess my lungs are different than those of a normal human, which would explain the super breath. Oh and I'm virtually invulnerable to everything. Except one thing."

"And what's that?" she asked.

He could see that she was hanging off every word he was telling her. Though a part of him didn't want to be telling her at all, he couldn't deny that finally letting go and revealing himself brought a kind of calm to him. Like this was what he'd needed to do for so long but had been too afraid. And he was right to be afraid, he told himself. People had gotten hurt in the past because of his secret.

"That's a much longer story Lois."

She nodded again and moved back to her stool, reaching out to pat the one in front of her. "We've got time Smallville."

Clark closed his eyes at the familiar name. Until now, he hadn't known how worried he was that she would never call him that again. It was strange, to want to be called that, but it was Lois' thing and he didn't want that to change. Ever.

He sat down in front of her, feeling a little like he was on trial. She seemed to sense this and reached out to take his hand. He stared down for a moment, linking his fingers through her slender ones.

Then, looking up into her eyes once more, he told the story of his birth on another planet, his rescue by his parents, and the day he fell to Earth. She sat in silence, listening deeply but never once letting go of his hand, tightening her grip when he got to the part about being raised by the Kents but always feeling like he was so different, always feeling alone.

"The day of the first meteor shower, when I came to this planet, pieces of my home world followed and crashed with my ship. But they became radioactive when they passed through the atmosphere."

Understanding dawned in her eyes. "That's why we have so many meteor infected people running around isn't it?"

"Yeah, but this stuff…it's called Kryptonite, and it's…deadly, to me."

Her jaw dropped. "It can kill you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, so I'm only invulnerable to a point."

He saw her frown and look down as she slowly released his hand. His eyes followed hers and landed on the dressing she'd put on him a little while ago. Before he could say anything, she'd reached out and gently pulled the tape back, exposing nothing but smooth, healthy skin.

"Wow." she muttered as she pulled the whole dressing off and sat surveying where the wound had been. She ran her fingers over his skin, and he had to bite down hard to stop his body reacting to her touch. "You healed."

"Yeah."

"But you were shot," she said, raising her eyes to his. "The bullet went right through you. I saw the wounds, you were in such pain…"

Then her eyebrows shot up. "That was Kryptonite on your shirt wasn't it? That green stuff back at the Ace of Clubs, that's why you were hurt."

"Yeah, but I'm okay now."

Abruptly she stood up and moved away from him, heading over to the window to once again stare out of it.

"Lois?" He got up and walked over to her, worried, hoping that she wasn't about to start doubting him now. He couldn't bear for her to think of him as a freak. Not Lois. "I'm still me, I'm still Clark."

She turned around to face him. "You were hurt because of me," she whispered. "If you knew that that stuff could kill you, why on earth did you jump in front of a bullet Clark? I don't understand."

"I did it for you." Their eyes locked and something passed between them, making the very air sizzle around them. "I couldn't stand back and watch you get hurt again. I didn't save you the first time, I wasn't about to let you get shot again."

Lois didn't reply and he could see her throat working hard to swallow. "Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear.

Taking a tentative step towards her, he grabbed her shoulders. "I was so scared that day Lois. I listened in on your surgery because I couldn't take the waiting. I needed to know how you were doing. When I heard that you were starting to crash, my heart felt like someone had a vice grip on it. All I could think was, I didn't save you. I didn't get to you in time."

Her eyes softened and she reached up to cup his cheek. "You can't be everywhere at once Smallville." She cocked her head to the side, a small smile playing at her lips. "Or can you?"

He chuckled, feeling a little better. "No, I can't do that. But it would be helpful sometimes." His face fell serious again. "I hated seeing you hurt, that's why I jumped in front of that bullet today. I wasn't going to let you go through that pain again."

She placed a hand on his chest and he felt the heat from her palm seep into his skin, making it tingle.

"I was scared tonight Clark. I had all these ideas that you were some kind of super hero that couldn't be hurt and then you got shot and I…" Her voice cracked a little, her face tightening up at the memory. "I didn't know what to do or to think or…"

He pulled her closer and enveloped her in his arms. She sighed and burrowed her head into his chest, mumbling something he didn't quite catch.

"What was that?"

Raising her head, she smiled. "I said you'll always be the same to me Smallville. This doesn't change who you are, who you've been all along," she smiled. "Though being the Red-Blue-Blur does make you less of a dorky farm boy."

Sighing, he nodded. "I guess you would make that connection huh?"

"Well to be honest, I had an inkling when you saved me a few times. Always looking out for me aren't ya?"

"Someone has to, I know you and trouble are on such friendly terms." he teased.

She chuckled and punched him in the shoulder. "But you're still the same Clark Kent to me."

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers, his heart singing at her words. She didn't think he was a freak. When he opened them, her face was serious again.

"I can understand why you didn't want to tell me about this Clark, so don't think that I thought you owed it to me just because of a few visions. I appreciate that you told me now and I just want you to know that I will never betray your secret."

"I know that Lois. I've always known that. But I didn't tell you because I didn't want to see what happened to other people that knew, happen to you. It has turned so many lives upside down, I just wanted to spare you that."

As she opened her mouth to speak, Clark pressed a finger against her lips. "You're the one person I _can't_ lose Lois."

She gasped a little and closed her mouth, quickly turning her head away. He caught her chin and gently turned her to face him again.

"Lois, I…" He didn't know what to say next.

He wanted to tell her just how much she meant to him, but how far could he really push this? He'd already off loaded a lot onto her tonight, maybe she needed time to process that before he told her everything else.

But as he stared into her eyes, all the feelings that he'd had when they'd been kissing on the sofa, slowly started to return. He could feel the heat in the pit of his stomach, that aching burn in his chest. His lips tingled and as he watched her bite her lip softly, he wanted to kiss her again.

What she did next surprised him. Her hands ran up his torso and back down again, one hand lingering over the non existent wound in his side.

"Thank you Clark." she muttered.

"Hey, he probably would've shot me sooner and with better aim if you hadn't come to my rescue."

She scoffed and looked up at him. "Your rescue. Yeah right. If I hadn't created a fake super hero, you wouldn't have been hurt at all."

He smirked at her, drawing her closer. "I have to admit, I liked your outfit. And that accent…mmm."

Lois grinned as she linked her hands behind his head, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She cleared her throat and brought her mouth closer to his.

"Then why don't you kiss me…" His whole body responded as she once again spoke in the accent he found so sexy coming from her and he was powerless to do anything but grant her request.

As his head descended, she smiled.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter Twenty Eight**_

She just couldn't believe it. Of all the things Lois Lane had thought would happen in her life, kissing Clark Kent was not one of them. Of course the whole super-powered thing was another one but it felt good to finally know who he was and where he came from.

And he was an extraordinary kisser, she thought. They were the kind of kisses that left her breathless, wanting more. Clark's body was pressed into hers and she was vaguely aware of something digging into her lower back. Oh right, the kitchen counter. She was leaning against it, Clark's hands on her hips, holding her close.

Slowly, Clark pulled back and looked at her through hazy eyes that she could get all too easily let herself get lost in.

She cleared her throat and licked her lips, running a hand through the dishevelled hair that Clark's hands had mussed up. Neither one spoke for a few moments, each content to just stare into the other's eyes. Eventually she realised that she had to say something. But he beat her to it.

"Lois what's going on?"

She tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean? I would've thought that was pretty obvious."

Loving the way his face bloomed with colour at that statement, Lois waited for his response.

"I mean us. What are we doing?"

"It's called kissing Clark, all the kids are doing it these days. It's all the rage." She laughed when his frown deepened and she could see the frustration growing.

"You're not freaked out? Even just a tiny little bit?"

"Why would I be freaked out? You're not that bad a kisser Clark," she chuckled. Understatement of the year, she thought.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Lois will you be serious for a second?"

"Okay, I'm sorry. But why would I be freaked out?"

"Well considering the fact that less than an hour ago, you found out I was an _alien_…"

She held up her hand, cutting him off. "Wait, hold up. You think I see you differently now?"

He shrugged shyly. "Well…"

She grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it tightly. "Clark, I've known you're different for some time now and I have gotten used to it. The fact that you're from another planet adds mystery and excitement but it doesn't freak me out. It probably should, I mean, _you're from another planet_, but it doesn't." She paused for a moment to get her words exactly right.

But when she thought about what she was going to say, she found that she didn't need to think at all. It all came naturally. She looked back up at him and smiled.  
"Krypton, Earth, doesn't matter to me."

"Really?" The hope in his eyes actually broke her heart a little. How many times had he feared someone finding out his secret because of what they might think of him afterwards? He must've lived a very lonely life. She felt a sudden inexplicable anger at the thought of anyone rejecting him. Not knowing where it came from, she quickly pushed it back down.

"Really. I want to say that you're the same dorky farm boy that I met five years ago but I can't, because you're not, at least to me anyway." Before his face could register the disappointment, she quickly carried on.

"Because I never had these feelings for that guy five years ago. Who you are though…" she poked his chest. "in here, has never changed. You are, however, still the same adorkable farm boy who has an unhealthy taste in plaid…"

His bark of laughter was like music to her ears. "Adorkable? That's not even a word Lois."

"Nope, but it is now. Adorable and dorky, I think it suits you," She grinned.

Clark was astonished. He knew deep down she would be able to handle the truth, and even after learning that she already knew he had powers, he'd been hesitant but not afraid of telling her the rest. But a part of him was surprised that she wasn't even the slightest bit spooked by the fact that he wasn't human.

"You're doing it again." she said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He smiled at her as she continued to watch his face intently.

"Doing what?"

"Thinking too much. Something tells me that's always been your problem. Look, the thing is…deep down, it really doesn't matter to me. Because you're Clark, and you'll always be Clark."

She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "So don't go expecting any free rides now just because you're the Red-Blue-Blur. You _are_ the Red-Blue-Blur aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am." he replied.

She nodded. "That's good. You're doing a wonderful thing there Smallville. But, I'm still gonna bug you."

He felt his smile widen. "Good, I don't think my life would be the same if you stopped."

She studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "So…"

"What?"

"Should I stop calling you Smallville now? I mean it's a little…"

"No." His smiled faded. "I don't want you to stop calling me that Lois. I mean sure in the beginning I know you only said it to annoy me but…over the years I've kinda gotten used to it." He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her waist. "That's our thing. So please, don't stop."

She smiled and kissed him softly. "Sure thing, Smallville."

* * *

Oliver tipped back another glass of whiskey and watched as the streets whizzed by outside his limo window. After being in several different countries for the past few weeks, he'd thought he'd be glad to be coming home. That was not the case.

He'd been on various missions that required his help but he'd stayed away mostly for one reason. Lois.

She'd been on his mind ever since she'd been released from the hospital and he hadn't been able to handle seeing Clark so attentive and caring over her. And he had to admit that Clark had been doing a great job too. But that should've been his job, and once upon a time, it had been.

Now he didn't know what was going on. He'd been gone for so long he didn't even know if Lois was still living at the farm, or if she and Clark were together or still just friends. The calls he'd made to Chloe had been strictly business every time, he'd never broached the subject of her cousin and neither had she. Though he sensed she knew more than she was letting on.

His limo driver's voice broke through his thoughts. "We'll be arriving in Metropolis in about forty five minutes Mr Queen."

"Excellent." Oliver replied, his tone a little sour. What was wrong with him? He should be happy for Lois if Clark was what made her happy. And God knew she'd never given him any reason to think she still felt anything other than friendship for him.

But what if there was a small chance that he was wrong? What if there was the slightest chance that she could still feel something for him? That she regretted the way things ended between them. He had to know, one way or the other.

Then maybe he could finally move on with his life. Because right now, he was lost.

He didn't like to admit that he still felt angry at Clark for keeping the murder of his parents by Lionel a secret, but the truth was, he did. The rational voice in his mind spoke up, the one that hadn't visited in a while, saying maybe Clark had just been trying to do the right thing.

As he took another sip of his whiskey, he scoffed, of course he was. Clark always did the right thing and he…well he didn't. He'd lost count of the amount of times he'd screwed up in his life.

But the one thing he regretted the most, was letting Lois go so easily. He let the best thing that had ever happened to him, walk right out of his life because of his dedication to bringing Lex Luthor and his experiments down. But what did he have to show for it now? Nothing. He was alone, for the first time in his life, completely alone.

So he had to give it another shot. If it turned out Lois had moved on, he hadn't really lost anything he didn't already have. But if she did, then maybe his life would start looking up a little.

* * *

"Well Jimmy says that everything's fine his end. He's at home now nursing a serious headache but he's okay." Lois said as she hung up the phone and turned back to Clark, who was pouring two cups of coffee.

"What did you tell him about me? He saw me get shot." Clark asked as he handed her a mug.

"I told him it was a flesh wound and that you'd already been released from the hospital. So you may have to act a little sore around him." She perched herself on a nearby stool and took a hasty sip of her coffee, then cursed when the red hot liquid burned her lips.

"Damn it!"

Clark smiled and moved closer to her, his eyes locked on her lips. Without a word, his head swooped down and kissed her gently, his tongue tracing her lower lip. She felt a shiver run through her as he pulled away.

"Better?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah thanks." She was both intrigued and confused by his closeness.

Standing up, she made her way over to the sink and stared out of the window at the dark night sky. She knew the truth about him now, and he knew about her memories, there was nothing left to hide. But now that the earlier shock and adrenalin had worn off, her thoughts were annoying in their persistence.

She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him, but what she didn't know was how he felt about her. Sure he'd kissed her, but what had that meant exactly? Did he have feelings for her? Or was it a simple case of relief that she hadn't run from the house screaming that he was an alien? She didn't know but she liked to believe it was the first one.

The memory that she'd had earlier in the evening played itself back in her head. She just couldn't shake it. He'd said he didn't love her. Whether the machine thought he was lying or not, he hadn't planned on saying yes. Which meant what exactly? She had no idea.

"Lois?" His voice, so quiet, made her turn around to face him. He was sitting on the stool in front of her, watching her intently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I guess tonight has just been a little…" She trailed off, unable to think of a word.

"Weird?"

She shrugged. "I guess. It's not everyday you hear you've been best friends with an intergalactic traveller for the past five years. What?" she added when he chuckled.

He shook his head, smiling. "Nothing it's just that…well that's what I always preferred to be called. I hate the word alien, so I always called myself an intergalactic traveller. Figures you would be the one person to see that too."

"Oh, and why's that?"

He stood up and moved closer, clearly invading her personal space and not caring one bit. "Because through all the years I've known you, you have always been the one who gets me. Who understood me on a level that nobody else did."

"But Chloe knows about you right? Surely she didn't treat you any differently?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love Chloe. She's my best friend and I don't know what I would've done without her these past few years." His face darkened for a moment.

"But she's been through a lot because of me. I never wanted her to know, she found out on her own. But when she did find out, things…changed. Unintentionally, she put me up on some kind of pedestal and sometimes I think she sees me as a hero first and a person second."

Unable to resist, Lois reached up and cupped his cheek. "You _are_ a hero Clark. Not in the corny 'Oh my hero' sense, but you put yourself out there to protect people. You've always protected the people you love. And that is something I saw from the moment I met you. Not because of the whole 'Red-Blue-Blur' thing. That hasn't changed just because I know the truth about you. I don't define that term by how many powers you have or how spectacular your saves are, its about who you are inside and you're the most caring person I've ever known."

His hand came up to cover hers, and moved it down to his chest, pressing it against his heart. "Why didn't you tell me that you knew?"

"Because it wasn't my place to. I didn't want you to feel pressured into telling me, I wanted you to tell me if or when you felt you wanted to."

Something flashed in his eyes before his face lit up in a big smile. She wondered what had happened when other people had found out before. Because Chloe knew, so it stood to reason that maybe others did too. Oliver obviously knew judging from his not so nice reception to Clark when she was still in the hospital.

"And…maybe it was because I didn't want you to see me as 'that person' either."

"What do you mean?" he asked, holding her hand in place.

"I didn't want you to see me as the person I've always been around you. The nosy, intrusive person that I always am. I didn't want you to think that I was just trying to get information out of you for a headline on the Blur or something."

"I never thought that Lois. And you're not nosy, you're inquisitive. That's what makes you a great reporter. But the fact that you kept this to yourself means more to me than you know. Thank you."

"Just out of curiosity, how did Chloe find out?"

He blew out a long breath. "It's a long story but let's just say, she saw me use some of my abilities. She was a lot like you when she did find out. She never pressured me into telling her but unlike you, she did drop quite a few hints here and there."

"Do you wish I hadn't found out?"

He took a moment to think about that. "In a way, yes. But not because I don't trust you Lois. You're the most trustworthy person I know. But you've already been put in danger because of who I am."

She frowned for a moment, then realised what he meant. "Oh you mean that place we were sent to. What was that anyway?"

"Something I never want to happen again. Its called the Phantom Zone. Created by my birth father to imprison criminals from my planet and others. I knew exactly where I was when I woke up in that place but when I saw you there, all I could think about was getting you out." He closed his eyes and frowned. "You remember all that don't you?"

She grimaced. "Yeah, not some of my happiest memories I can tell you. Being possessed by that woman was…"

"You remember that too?" he asked, shocked. She nodded and then he drew her into his arms, hugging her fiercely.

"I'm so sorry Lois."

"Why?"

"That should never have happened to you. It was my fault."

She pulled back. "How was it your fault? I thought we cleared that up already." He opened his mouth to speak but she pressed a finger to his lips and spoke firmly. "No, it wasn't your fault. Got it?"

Slowly he nodded but she could see that he didn't agree. "But not all my memories from that place were bad." She laughed at the look he gave her, one that said he thought she was crazy. "When we were in that cave, I saw something in you that I'd never seen before. And…I don't know…I kinda thought maybe you were going to choose that moment to open up to me."

"I was close. I wanted to tell you, it wasn't fair that you'd been dragged into my mess and you knew nothing about it. But I didn't want to overload you and we weren't exactly in a safe place."

She chuckled. "I guess it is a pretty long conversation. It's taken up most of this evening."

That brought flashes of the evening back to her. "I still can't believe you got shot…for me."

He touched her cheek, making her look up at him again. "I would do it again in a heartbeat. And not because the bullet can't hurt me either."

Her heart flipped in her chest and she reached up to kiss him lightly on the lips. It never occurred to her that all these little kisses and hugs were not normally something she and Clark would do. But somehow, it just felt…right.

"Lois…" He stopped and she looked up to see him frowning down at her. "Are we…I mean is…?"

He didn't seem to know how to phrase his question. He drew in a deep breath and placed both his hands on her shoulders. Staring deeply into his eyes, she saw something. A resolve of some sort and it made her both nervous and excited at what he was going to say.

"I like you Lois."

She smiled through her confusion. "I like you too."

"No, I mean I _like_ you. Not just as a friend anymore. I don't know when it happened, but something happened…I'm not saying this very well am I?"

She chuckled and toyed with the buttons on his shirt. "Relax Smallville."

Just as she was about to give him one of her usual friendly punches to the arm, his hand shot out and grabbed her forearm, stopping her. His eyes bored into hers, trying to convey what he was feeling and when he heard her sharp intake of breath, he knew she got it. They were past the point of being just friends anymore. Way past it.

"I think we should go out on a date. A real date." he said, trying to dampen the nerves down a little. But it wasn't working.

She let out a snort. "I think we're way past the point of a first date Smallville. We've already gotten to first base at least three times tonight."

He felt his face heating up and he knew she could see it too judging from the grin on her face, but he couldn't stop it. Every time he thought about kissing Lois, it made his whole body quiver. He wondered if their kisses had the same effect on her. Because she was playing this awfully casually, like she wasn't really bothered either way.

"I know…" he said, his voice suddenly hoarse. "But I want to do this right. I think we could be good together, if you give us a chance."

"Clark…" For a moment he thought she was going to turn him down and he realised that the thought left him feeling oddly cold. He wanted her to say yes more than anything.

Then he caught a flash of vulnerability in her eyes and it strengthened his resolve. She was just as affected by their kisses as he was. She was just putting on a front. He shouldn't be surprised really, this was Lois after all. She had never been one to wear her heart on her sleeve.

"Let me take you to dinner tomorrow night."

She held up her hand and pointed at him. "Okay but if we're doing this, its going to be done properly. So you can pick me up at the Talon at seven."

He nodded. "Okay. Seven it is."

A calm silence fell over them for a few minutes, as they simply stared at each other and Clark found himself wondering how he never saw this before. How could he have missed what had been right in front of him all this time. He drew her close, thinking that he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"So Smallville…" she said, raising her head slightly to smile up at him with a mischievous grin. "How about you show me a few of these powers?"

He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "Actually, there is something I want you to see."

She shrieked as he suddenly bent down to lift her into his arms, then he opened the door and took off, running fast enough to be a blur, but slow enough so as not to hurt her.

When he set her down a few minutes later he had to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing at the expression on her face. Utter confusion, excitement and a hint of _whoa _appeared as she took a look around.

"What is this place?"

They both looked up at the voice that replied.

"Welcome to Watchtower Lois." Chloe said, smiling. Then she looked at Clark. "I guess it's safe to say the cat's out of the bag."


	29. Chapter 29

_**Chapter Twenty Nine**_

Clark watched Lois in amusement as she stood staring at all the equipment and sheer size of Watchtower. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, her mouth slightly open as she slowly turned in a circle.

He found himself taking an appreciative glance around too. What Chloe and Oliver had managed to do with this place was amazing. They'd taken an abandoned building and turned it into a headquarters for their operation.

He heard Chloe chuckle as she descended the stairs. "I take it from the look on your face that you approve Lois?"

Lois cleared her throat. "You just had to go and build a better clubhouse didn't you?"

Both girls burst into laughter, leaving Clark in the dark. When Lois saw his frown she explained. "Chloe spilled some soda in my clubhouse when we were kids and I kicked her out. She got a little prissy and said that she'd just start her own. A better one. I guess you won huh?" she said to Chloe.

Clark marvelled at how well Lois was taking this whole day. First with him getting shot, then hearing his confession of where he came from, what he could really do, then seeing him completely healed. She'd taken it all in her stride and just…accepted it.

Why had he ever been so afraid of her knowing the truth? Oh yeah, the danger.

He frowned, now that she knew, she was at risk. But there was no going back. It was out now, and for once he was glad that he didn't have to hide anything from her anymore.

A loud beeping noise brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Lois and Chloe standing beside one of the monitors, Lois with her hands raised.

"I swear I didn't touch anything."

"It's okay Lois." Chloe laughed as she began clicking away on the keyboard. "Clark, you're needed."

"I'm on it." He walked over to Lois, and touched her cheek. Sparing a glance at Chloe, who quickly turned her head away, he leaned in tentatively and kissed Lois softly on the lips.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of kissing her in front of Chloe, far from it, but this was still new to him. They hadn't even been on their first date yet. So to do something that he felt was rather intimate in front of her cousin, was a little weird. But he had to kiss her before he left.

"Wait here for me?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled. "Go get 'em Smallville."

Feeling a renewed sense of relief that she would always call him that, he winked at her then super sped out of Watchtower.

"Do you ever get used to that?" Lois asked as she smoothed back the hair that Clark's departure had ruffled around her face.

"Not really. It's worse when he does it when you're not expecting it. One minute you're standing there talking to him, the next, he's gone. In the blink of an eye."

"I still can't get my head around all this. You actually work with Clark and Oliver? Well, their hero sides."

"Oliver?" Chloe asked, shifting from one foot to the other, looking suddenly uncomfortable.

"Come on Chlo, you have to know by now that I know he's the Green Arrow."

"Well I was never really sure that you knew." Chloe's face fell serious. "Listen Lois, I hope you don't think that I was trying to deceive you about Clark…"

Lois held up her hand, stopping her. "Chloe, it's okay. I get it, I really do. You were just protecting them and that's what they need I guess. I'm not hurt, not angry…"

"You're not even a little annoyed that your own cousin kept something this big from you?"

"No because I know that your intentions were good. You weren't trying to hurt me."

Chloe expelled a relieved sigh then smiled. "So you and Clark seem to have grown…closer."

Lois tried to fight the grin, but failed miserably. "To be honest Chlo, tonight has just been so crazy I don't even know where I am right now."

"But you do like him?" Chloe asked, smiling knowingly.

Lois couldn't help but smile back as she thought of the bumbling way Clark had revealed that he had feelings for her. She had suspected it, but never really believed it. But now that she knew, that pesky memory of their time in those electric chairs was still nagging away at her. His answer ringing in her ears over and over. But why?

"He asked me out on a date."

"Well I'd say its about time but I know you and Clark all too well and I know how much the two of you like to keep what you're feeling hidden."

Lois shook her head. "I don't know when it happened, but I started seeing him differently a long time ago. And tonight, things happened, a situation got out of control and…well, he told me everything."

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. "I guess the question now is, how much do you _really _know?"

Lois walked over to the area where the sofa was and sat down. "A lot."

Should she tell her about the memory flashes? Or about the fact that she knew Clark was different a long time ago. At this point did it really matter if she did? Clark knew now so there was nothing left to hide.

"Do you remember that hypnotist I saw on my birthday? The one at the carnival."

Chloe nodded and sat down next to her. "What did she do Lois? I know that she must've done something because Clark was getting seriously worried about you at one point. He asked me to track her down so that he could go and talk to her but he never told me how that worked out."

Lois shook her head, once again reminded of how stupid Clark was for just diving in without realising how much he was exposing himself. All because he was worried about her. It may have been a sweet notion but he'd put himself out there for this woman to see and Lois didn't like it one bit.

"Well, I know that I was a naysayer when I walked in there but…let's just say after the last few months, I'm a firm believer in what that woman can do."

"Which is what?"

"Well she said some weird things to me. Things that kind of hit a little close to home…"

"She can read minds?"

"I don't think it's quite like that. I think she senses things, thoughts and stuff. Anyway, she sensed that I was deeply confused about something and she thought she could help me with that."

Chloe frowned and Lois could already see the scepticism in her eyes. "How?"

"By hypnotising me and judging from the memories I keep getting replayed in my head, it worked. She wanted me to open my mind, to see what I was missing, what had been right in front of me the whole time."

"Ah so that was what all those blackouts were."

Lois rolled her eyes, that had to be Clark's conclusion, always the worrier. "They weren't blackouts Chloe. I just zoned out a little that's all. But luckily, they've been tailing off lately. I don't get them nearly as much as I used to. But they showed me a side to Clark that I'd never seen before. Or couldn't remember seeing anyway."

"So what happened to Clark?"

"Apparently she put the same whammy on him as she did me, because he told me earlier that he'd been getting visions too. And um…well we kinda had the same one."

"Huh?"

Lois squirmed in her seat, not knowing how much to divulge about her and Clark's activities of the evening. "Well we were kissing, and then it was like our minds were linked in the same memory. We could both see it."

"Lois…" Chloe started, her frown deepening as she thought. "What did this woman use to hypnotise you?"

"She had a locket, a beautiful gold locket that had some weird green gemstone in it…no way." Lois stopped as she suddenly realised what that stone was. It had to be meteor rock.

"Meteor rock?"

Chloe nodded with a grim expression. "Sounds like it to me Lois. That stuff can do anything believe me. It's turned some of the nicest people I know into psychopaths."

Chloe leaned over and patted Lois' knee, a smile now gracing her face. "So you're really okay with all of this? The whole Clark being the Red-Blue-Blur thing?"

"As strange as it is, yeah I think I am. It doesn't change who he is, though it may make it harder for me to make fun of him."

Chloe chuckled and stood up. "I'm sure you'll find a way Lo, you usually do."

"Chloe, she might know about Clark." she said, suddenly serious.

"What do you mean?"

"Clark went to see her, now I'm not sure if she can actually read minds but that woman knows stuff Chlo, she could very well know about Clark's true identity. I have to find her and talk to her. Can you track her down for me?"

Chloe headed over to one of her many computer monitors and Lois stood up to follow, briefly wondering how Chloe didn't go cross eyed with all the screens in the room. She'd only been there ten minutes or so and was already getting a headache. Or maybe that was the super speed.

That had certainly been an experience, she'd never felt anything like it. But the real bonus was the look on Clark's face after he'd stopped and put her down. He wore a look of such pride, as if he was finally relieved that he could truly be himself around her now. That he no longer had to hide anything from her. And she liked that, a lot.

She watched Chloe work her magic for a few minutes, silently marvelling at her cousin's skills. She'd always known Chloe was a whiz on the computer, but this was just…she was a genius.

"Okay, I think I found her. Her real name is Serena Fitzgerald and she lives…" More typing. "In Metropolis strangely enough. The carnival season's over so she should be there."

Lois looked at her watch and wondered where Clark had gotten to. She had promised to wait for him and though she hated to admit it, she really wanted to keep that promise.

"Well I guess it's too late to go knocking on her door now anyway. I'll try and catch her tomorrow. How about some coffee? You must have a decent cappuccino maker in this place."

Chloe smiled at her, pursing her lips as if she was trying to stop herself from saying something. And Lois was fairly certain she knew what it was. Obviously Chloe was aware that Lois wanted to keep her promise too.

* * *

Oliver slammed his limo door shut and ordered the driver to move, to go anywhere as long as it was away from here.

Standing outside Watchtower's central control room, hearing Lois talking about Clark that way had made him more than a little angry and he hated to admit it, but maybe a little jealous too.

He'd arrived at Watchtower to call in on Chloe and Lois had been the last person he'd expected to see there. Which was suspicious enough, but then she went on to tell Chloe about how she knew all about Clark, about the real Clark and he couldn't believe his ears.

He couldn't wrap his mind around Clark willingly telling her his secret, not this soon, after keeping it from Lana for so many years. What made Lois different? What had changed? Then he heard her explanation.

She'd seen his abilities as a result of a visit to a carnival hypnotist. Whatever mojo that woman had worked on Lois, it seemed to have had the desired affect.

He pounded a fist into the leather seat at his side. Okay, so Lois obviously didn't have feelings for him anymore but that didn't mean that he had to stop caring about her. She'd been put in danger when she'd found out about his own secret, by people wanting to know who the Green Arrow was.

That was one of the main reasons he'd let her go so easily and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't wish he could take back the fact that she knew. To make it easier for her. She was only in store for more of that danger with Clark.

Unless…

He took out his cell phone and hit speed dial. "Hey it's me, listen, I need you get me an address. Serena Fitzgerald Metropolis. Get back to me asap."

He snapped his phone shut and stared out of his window. This was the right thing to do. For her.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Chapter Thirty**_

Lois glanced to her right and let out a slow breath. He'd been so quiet since they'd left the restaurant and she just knew that he was brooding. He pulled up next to the Talon and turned off the engine, but made no move to get out. She'd insisted on staying here tonight because she'd wanted to do the whole first date thing right, for him. He seemed so intent on getting every little detail just right between them.

She guessed it was because they'd been friends for so long, he was a little nervous about what this meant for them. If she was honest, she was too.

She looked at him, with his head bowed and a sad expression on his face, and she knew without a doubt that this was a chance worth taking. That_ he_ was a chance worth taking.

"You know…" She trailed off. She had no idea what she was going to say next. The evening had started out so good. She'd gone to the Talon and Chloe had helped her pick out her dress, Clark had picked her up with a bunch of the same flowers he'd brought her at the hospital and she knew that they had come from the farm.

He looked very handsome in his suit and every inch the guy who was both nervous and excited to be taking a girl he liked out. The dark blue dress shirt he was wearing really made his eyes sparkle. Or was it just the way he'd been looking at her when he'd first seen her.

"I had a good time tonight Clark." she said. He scoffed but didn't say anything. He just looked at her with those sad eyes and a smile that didn't quite reach them.

She leaned over and placed a hand on his cheek. "You know it wasn't your fault…"

His eyes drifted down to the large brown stain on her red dress. The same red dress that she'd asked him to help zip up a few months ago. She'd seen the way his eyes had flared then and she'd wanted the same reaction tonight.

She hadn't been disappointed. His mouth had fallen open slightly as his eyes looked her over from head to toe and she didn't think that he even knew he was doing it.

"I'm sorry…" he said, his quiet voice breaking the silence of the truck.

"What for?"

"I uh, I have to go…again." His eyes flitted around the outside of the truck and she knew that he was hearing something she couldn't.

She tilted her head and smiled at him. "You know it's okay right? I don't expect you to sit here with me when somebody out there needs your help. I am fine with it."

He sighed. "I know, but…"

"But what?" she asked softly.

Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her, his mouth firm yet soft against her lips and when he finally pulled back, Lois had almost forgotten what they'd been talking about. He sure was a great kisser, she thought.

"You shouldn't have to be fine with it." he muttered.

"Well I am so it doesn't really matter does it. Now go, someone needs you. I'll see you tomorrow at home." One side of his mouth curved up at her words and she realised what she'd just said but for some reason, didn't feel inclined to correct it.

She kissed him one last time and then got out of the truck. She watched as his truck disappeared around the corner and then made her way up to Chloe's apartment. It was strange but now that she was living at the farm, this place didn't really feel like home anymore.

"Hey, how was the grand evening?" Chloe asked as she poured out a cup of coffee behind the small kitchen counter. Her smile faded a little when she saw the stain on Lois' dress.

"It could've gone better." Lois admitted, throwing her purse down on the table. "But it could've gone worse too."

"What happened?"

Lois sat down at the counter and put her head in her hands. Letting out a sigh, she started. "Everything was going so great early on. We had wine, we talked, we laughed. It was…amazing. But then Clark got called away…twice, he got back just as the meal was being served."

"I guess that's just something you have to live with huh?"

"You got it. I didn't mind him disappearing at all, because at least I knew where he was going. It used to drive me crazy when he'd just take off without an explanation."

"So how did that happen?" Chloe asked, gesturing at her dress as she handed Lois her coffee.

"Well, when Clark got back he seemed like he was in a bit of rush and as he sat down at the table, he left his leg out and the passing waiter caught his foot. The soup he was holding quickly found a place in my lap." she grimaced.

"Oh my God, seriously?" Chloe burst out into a fit of giggles, and Lois couldn't help but join in.

"I bet that made your night."

"I didn't care about the dress or the cold soup though Chlo, he took it really hard. He seemed so sad when he dropped me off here and that bothers me."

Chloe sobered a little. "Well of course he did. That's just Clark Kent. He wanted everything to be perfect for tonight. He told me that it was a big transition from friends to…well whatever it is that you're now calling it…and he didn't want anything to mess it up. He said that he was worried if things went wrong then somehow you would see it as some sort of sign that you shouldn't be together. I just thought he was worried about being called away but apparently, there was more to worry about."

"It isn't funny Chloe."

"I know, I know. Seriously though, I've never seen him so worked up about a date before. He really wanted things to go right so I guess all this has to be pretty embarrassing for him. I think that boy may be slightly in love with you Lois Lane."

It was meant as a joke, Lois knew that, but her mind flashed back again to their time in the jeweller's electric chairs. Something just felt off about it all. He hadn't said he loved her, yet she could feel it. She could feel the intensity of his eyes as they refused to leave hers.

A sudden thought occurred to Lois as she thought about his expression in the truck. Had she told him that despite what had happened, it had been one of the best nights of her life? Had she told him that she still wanted to go on another date? She shot up off her chair and grabbed her car keys, heading straight for the door.

"Hey where are you going?" Chloe called.

She replied without even thinking. "Home."

* * *

Clark paused for a moment on his front porch and looked out at the night sky. It was…peaceful here at the farm tonight and for that he was glad. Since he and Lois had been living together, he hadn't 'brooded' as she called it, for weeks. Maybe even months, he didn't know.

Time with Lois just sort of seemed to stand still. Like they were the only two people there.

He drew some cool air deep into his lungs. _Lois_. Everything had been ruined tonight and he wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she found some sort of way to decide that this wasn't right for them. But Clark knew that wasn't true.

He knew in his heart that he wanted this more than anything he'd ever really wanted in his life. She was what he wanted. And he'd messed it up.

He opened the door and walked inside, expecting to hear Shelby's feet pattering on the floor as he came to welcome him home. Except there was no pattering. Where was he?

"Shelby?" He called out as he shed his red jacket and hung it up.

"Nope, something better." Her voice drifted through from the living room. What was she doing here? She'd said she wanted to stay at the Talon

"Lois?" He walked into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks. She was beautiful, sitting on the sofa with the moonlight coming in through the window, bathing her in a soothing glow.

She grinned at him. "Who else were you expecting?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Gee, feel the love in this room."

"That's not what I…" He let out a sigh, he just couldn't get anything right tonight. "I thought you were staying at the Talon tonight."

"I was. But…" She stood up and walked over to him. "I changed my mind. That okay with you?"

He nodded because he couldn't think of anything to say with her standing so close and looking like that.

"So…I thought maybe we could pick up where we left off earlier."

He raised his eyebrows in question, where was she going with this?

She nodded towards something behind her and for the first time since he'd walked in, he took a good look around…and lost his breath.

"You did all this?" he asked, gesturing at the spread of food on the coffee table and the candles that were lit all around the room. How had he not noticed it when he'd walked in? Well, that answer was easy, he thought. He never really saw anything else when he was looking at Lois.

"Uh-huh. We never really finished our meal at the restaurant, you must be hungry, I know I am."

He hung his head. "I am sorry about all that. I don't know what happened."

"There's nothing to be sorry for Smallville. It was just one of those nights that's all. And let's face it, it was a normal night for us."

"That's just it Lois, I didn't want it to be a normal night for us. I wanted us to start out the way we mean to go on. As a couple, not friends."

Her heart started pounding hard in her chest. "You really mean that?"

"Yeah," He tightened his arms around her waist, bringing her in closer. "I know that this is what I want Lois. More than anything. I want to be with you."

Touched to the bottom of her soul, Lois lifted her hands to his face. He turned his head to press his lips against one palm, then the other. She trailed her fingertips down the strong column of his neck and felt the thrill of pride when he shuddered. She had the power to make this powerful man shudder. It was…a discovery.

She ran her fingers up into the soft hair at his nape and pulled his head down, kissing him with all the emotion she had inside. Her reward was a deep guttural groan that made her insides melt like butter.

He took control of the kiss, startling her for a split second because he'd never been this confident with her before, but when his hands gripped her hips and pulled her flush up against him, she lost all train of thought.

Her eyelids shut and her knees gave way as he guided her down to the softness of the sofa. Her last coherent thought was that they probably shouldn't be doing this right now, not so soon anyway, but she was unable to stop, the feelings he was arousing simply by kissing her were so intoxicating, she never wanted it to end.

And as he settled his massive frame over her, his body pressing tightly into hers, she could feel that he didn't want to stop either.

"Lois…" he mumbled as he kissed his way down the sensitive skin on her neck. "Look at me."

With difficulty she forced her eyes to open. He was close, so close she could see each individual lash that framed his eyes. Eyes that stared at her with an intensity that made her heart start pounding all over again.

"I…" He swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving hers. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

A soft gasp escaped her lips. She'd never expected him to say that. Not so soon. She lifted her hand to his jaw, felt it clench beneath her fingertips. It was time to take that chance. "I love you Clark."

Another hard shudder racked his body as he slid his hands beneath her head to cradle her face. Lois kissed his chin, his lower lip, his jaw, his neck. Anything she could reach with his weight pressing her down.

"Lois," he whispered. She knew what he was going to say next, that they shouldn't be doing this. They'd let it go too far and she knew that he was right. But something about this just felt…right. She wanted him, wanted to be with him.

"Clark…" she whispered back, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "Just for once, stop thinking so much. Just feel."

His hips gently pressed further into hers, and the resulting shiver that raced down her spine to her core had her lifting her hips to meet him halfway.

"Lois stop," It was a hissed warning and for a second she thought that he was going to pull away. But he didn't, he stayed right where he was but she could see from the way he squeezed his eyes shut that he struggling hard to control something.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded but didn't open his eyes. "I just uh…you need to stop moving so much okay?"

"What? Why…?" The flushed look on his face told her all she needed to know. "Oh."

She raised her hands and smoothed her thumbs over his closed eyelids. When he opened them, she swallowed hard at the lust she could see there. But it was more than that, it was lust mixed with something else. Love. That was why this felt so right, she loved him, he loved her. It was…perfect.

She smiled and kissed his lips, then whispered in his ear. "Stop fighting Smallville."

He groaned again and dropped his head, his lips attacking a very sensitive spot just below her ear. She had to get closer. She spread her legs wider, lifting her knees to bracket his hips. It was better, he was closer, but still not close enough. Layers of clothing still separated them and she wanted nothing between them. She wriggled experimentally and gasped at the resulting friction.

"Dammit Lois." Clark pressed her into the sofa harder, immobilizing her hips. "I…" He never finished the thought. He heard that voice in his head again, telling him to let go, to trust his feelings. To let his heart decide. The hypnotist. It had to be.

Looking into Lois' glazed eyes, something inside him just…snapped. He let go of his fears, his apprehension, and just let himself feel. This was what he wanted. _She_ was what he wanted.

His hands skimmed down and slowly pulled the zipper of her dress down. As he lowered the straps from her shoulders, he kept his eyes glued to hers, searching for any sign that she wanted to stop. But there was none. She only smiled at him and it was a slow, sensuous smile that drove him crazy.

She arched her back, to help him with her dress and he threw it down onto the floor as his eyes drank in the sight of her.

"You're beautiful," he said, his voice rough.

"And we're a little uneven here wouldn't you say?" That blush staining her cheeks was so sexy as her hands found their way underneath his shirt and he hissed when they made contact with his skin.

She lifted it up, kissing every inch of skin that was exposed along the way and Clark knew he wasn't going to be able to take much more of this. He raised his arms and let her take his shirt off, tossing it aside.

Then he stood and lifted her into his arms, pausing for a moment to look into her eyes. One last chance to stop this. Neither of them wanted to, that much was clear.

Dropping a quick kiss onto her mouth, he held onto her tightly and sped upstairs, kicking his bedroom door shut behind him.

* * *

Chloe scrubbed at her tired eyes as she made her way over to the door. She flung it open to reveal a dishevelled looking Oliver.

"Oliver, what are you doing here it's two in the morning?" she groaned.

"Is Lois here?"

"Whoa." Chloe's eyes widened as the smell of alcohol hit her hard. "Oliver how much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Not enough. Is she here?"

"No why would she be? She lives at the farm remember?"

Chloe headed away from the door, leaving it open for Oliver to come in while she made some coffee. She had a feeling that this was going to be a long visit. His bouts of binge drinking were getting worse. She knew why but she couldn't go on letting it happen much longer. He was putting himself and everyone else around him at risk.

She watched him as he stumbled over to the couch, he was spiralling down so far she was scared that he wouldn't find his way back out. And the worst part was that he seemed to be latching onto his old life with Lois as if it were a lifeline.

"I tried the farm, no one's home. The lights are all out."

"Maybe they're asleep. That is generally what people do at night Oliver."

"Maybe. Oh hey, wasn't tonight their big night?" he asked, grinning.

Chloe frowned, his smile was seriously creeping her out. "Yeah."

"Hmm, wonder how that went."

Something in his voice made her think that he knew exactly how it went. "Ollie please tell me you didn't spy on them. That's a new low even for you."

"No not at all."

"Then why are you grinning?"

He leaned in to whisper something as she sat down next to him. "I know about the visions."

"What visions? Oliver you're not making any sense."

"Lois's memories. I overheard you two talking about it last night."

"You were spying on us?" Chloe asked, appalled.

"No, I overheard that's all. Who would've guessed that a hypnotist from a carnival could cause so much trouble. But it doesn't matter now."

Chloe closed her eyes and sighed. "Here," she handed him a cup of strong coffee. "Drink this. You're staying here tonight, there's no way you're fit to drive and I have to get back to my husband so just shut up and lie down okay?"

He saluted her. "Yes ma'am." He did what she asked all too easily, Chloe thought.

But as he lay down, his eyes closing as soon as his head made contact with the cushions, she wondered exactly how long this was going to go on for. He couldn't keep blaming Clark for what Lionel did to his parents, it wasn't fair.

She turned out the lights and headed back to bed, but something Oliver was murmuring caught her attention.

"What was that?"

"She's gonna fix it. She'll make it right. Make her safe again."

Chloe felt the dread seep in. "Oliver…what did you do?"


	31. Chapter 31

_**Chapter Thirty One**_

Lois smelled the bacon before she even opened her eyes. She rolled onto her back and stretched, smiling at the delicious ache in all the right places. She could still feel the weight of him pressing down on top of her, still feel his hands and lips on her skin.

"Hey." His soft voice caught her unawares and she opened her eyes to see him standing in the doorway wearing nothing but his boxers and holding a tray of food. Her mouth started watering but not because of the food.

"Hey." she replied roughly. Standing there in the sunlight that poured in through the window, he looked…gorgeous. Toned golden skin covering huge muscles that twitched as he stared down at her. It was a little hard to believe what they'd shared last night.  
But it had been the best night of her life.

He walked over to the bed, his stride confident and something seemed different about him. He'd told her before that he was relieved he didn't have to hide his secret from her anymore, that he could now share everything with her. But this was something else. It was almost as if there was nothing weighing him down anymore. He seemed, for the first time since she'd known him, truly happy.

The bed dipped as he sat down next to her, lowering his body so that he could give her a kiss. And it was a slow lingering kiss that gave Lois that fluttering feeling in her chest again.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking at her with serious eyes.

"I'm great." Her eyes fell to the tray and her stomach let out a growl. "Is that for me?"

"Well we didn't exactly get around to eating last night so you must be hungry."

"Yeah I guess we did get kind of distracted huh?"

"But you're okay? You're not…" He trailed off, and she realised what it was he was getting at. He'd mentioned last night, just before he'd laid down with her that he was scared of hurting her.

"I feel great Smallville. I know you were worried about hurting me but you didn't. I knew you could never hurt me and as you can see, I'm a lot tougher than I look."

He breathed a sigh of relief and handed her the tray as she sat up. "Careful Smallville, I could get used to this kind of treatment."

"Good, because I plan on making you many more breakfasts in the future." Lois' bacon filled hand stopped halfway to her mouth and she felt a shiver of anticipation go through her at the look in his eyes. He wanted this to happen again? Well that was good news.

"I gotta be honest I'm a little surprised." she said, popping a piece of bacon into her mouth.

"Why's that? Didn't think the farm boy could keep up with you?" he smirked, surprising Lois with his candour.

She chuckled. "No, I just thought that maybe this morning you would be having second thoughts about what we did."

He took a few moments to think about his answer as he munched on some toast. "To be honest, so did I. But…I don't regret what happened Lois. I never planned for it to happen so soon, I wanted to make sure that we didn't rush into anything but what happened last night…" He paused and looked directly into her eyes unflinchingly. "It just felt right somehow, I can't explain it. You don't regret it do you?"

"You're kidding right? Last night was the best night of my life." She laughed. "I guess we're way past the second date point now huh?"

He chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her, his hand trailing down her arm, bringing her upper body closer to him. His lips were so soft, so…kissable, she just couldn't get enough. She wondered if she ever would. Her hunger quickly changed into one that no longer required food and with her breakfast forgotten, she let herself get lost in his touch again.

Clark moved the tray aside and settled down next to Lois, kissing the spot just under her ear that he now knew drove her crazy. He still couldn't believe that she was in his arms much less in his bed, and the fact that he was able to bring out the same reactions in her as she did in him was an incredible feeling. The relief of knowing that he'd made love to her without hurting her, was soothing, leaving him with a feeling of calm and peace.

The sounds she made as his lips moved lower pushed him to the edge and he knew that he couldn't pull back now even if he wanted to. She pushed on his chest with both hands and he rolled over, bringing her with him so that she was now straddling his hips. He swallowed hard as he once again took in the sight of her naked body. She was so beautiful.

She lowered herself down on top of him and smoothed a hand down his cheek. Chest to chest, nose to nose, Clark couldn't stop staring into her hazel eyes. They were so warm and…loving.

It occurred to him that she had told him she loved him last night and he had only told her he thought he was falling in love with her. How wrong he'd been. He lifted both hands to push her hair away and cradle her face.

"I love you Lois."

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled down at him and for a split second he thought he saw tears there. "I love you too Smallville." Her voice was husky, utterly sexy and he lost the ability to think as her lips covered his once more.

* * *

"Miss Fitzgerald?" Chloe asked as the woman opened her door.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The woman asked warily.

"I'm Chloe Sullivan, I was hoping to get a moment of your time."

"I'm not buying anything thank you."

"No you don't understand, I'm not selling anything. I came to talk to you about my cousin. You saw her at the carnival in Metropolis a few months ago. Lois Lane?"

Recognition sparked in the woman's eyes. "Ah yes, Lois. How is she doing, is she still troubled with the visions?"

"Yes and no. She said that she's not getting them as much now."

Serena nodded. "Yes, it must be coming to an end. They were never supposed to last this long, I guess whatever it was that needed to come out, took its time."

Chloe nodded, a wry smile on her face. "You could say that. Though I have to say I've never seen her this happy before. What exactly did you do to her?"

Serena looked around the street behind Chloe and then opened her door wider. "Come on inside, we'll talk."

"I know that you're able to see people's thoughts, I was just wondering when all that started." Chloe asked as she took the seat that was offered. It was very 'normal' living room, not at all what Chloe had been expecting. But then again, what had she been expecting?

"I've always had a certain ability to see into people's minds pretty much my whole life. But I was passing through Smallville about five years ago when there was a meteor shower. The green rocks that fell from the sky were so beautiful and I had one put into this locket. Ever since then I've been able to help people."

Chloe frowned. "Help people how?"

Serena chuckled as she sat down on the sofa next to Chloe. "My hypnotism actually started working for one thing. People came from all over to ask me to help with things such as giving up smoking and losing weight. Sometimes love and money troubles too but those are things that I can't control."

She shook her head, her long black hair falling over one shoulder. "But when your cousin came to see me, I could see that she was very confused about something. Sceptical, but she needed to open her mind and that was what I did. I didn't realise it was about Clark until he came to see me."

"Did you do the same to him?"

"Sort of, he was a little…difficult for me to read. Lois' mind was like an open book to me. I could feel what she was feeling, think what she was thinking but with Clark, there was nothing. It was blank. Really confused me I can tell you." she chuckled.

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief that this woman didn't actually know who Clark really was. "So what did you do?"

"I just opened his mind, told him to let himself feel instead of think. To see all the missed chances that had passed him by."

"Did you know that their minds had linked together?" Chloe knew she probably shouldn't be mentioning that but she had to know if that had been intended or not.

"No I didn't, that's never happened before." She frowned, looking thoughtful for a moment. "But something tells me that Lois and Clark are special."

"They certainly are," Chloe murmured. "Listen Miss Fitzgerald-"

"Serena please."

"Serena. I need to ask you something."

Serena looked at Chloe so intensely that Chloe felt a little awkward and before she could say anything else, Serena spoke.

"Yes, Mr Queen came to see me last night."

Chloe groaned and rubbed her temple, trying to ease the growing pressure there. "I was afraid of that. What did he say?"

"Well at first he offered me money to reverse what I did to Lois. A lot of money. But I said no, I can't be bought Miss Sullivan. I don't do this for money."

Chloe inwardly scoffed, if that was the case then why did she charge for what she did. "So what did he say to that?"

"I don't charge, the carnival puts a fee on my door but I don't endorse it. I stay with the carnival because its easier to help people that way. They would never come to see me here or anywhere else, because what I do is too unbelievable to them. I'm just considered a quack." she said grimly and Chloe got the impression that she'd spent most of her life being called that.

"It's the perfect place because people always come, its kind of a tradition to see the psychic or fortune teller at a carnival isn't it? They do it because its fun, and they leave happier than when they came in. So it's worth it, to me anyway."

"I guess I can understand that. Listen I saw Oliver last night, he told me that you're going to fix everything. Why would he say that if you turned him down?"

"I don't know Miss Sullivan, but I can assure you that Lois and Clark are quite safe from me. Besides, I told Clark that this cannot be reversed, it has to play itself out."

Chloe felt her frown deepen, what the hell had Oliver been mumbling about last night? "Well he was pretty drunk so I guess he was just rambling."

"I told him that the only way would be if Lois asked me herself and since I don't see that happening, well…let's just say he wasn't very happy with my answer."

Chloe stood up and held out her hand. "Well thank you for your time Serena, I think I need to go and have a little chat with Mr Queen."

Serena's voice stopped her just outside the front door. "Yeah?"

"Don't be too hard on him, he's in a great deal of pain right now and he needs to sort through that before he can let her go again. He's clinging because he's scared. And I'm not sure why but he's also worried about her safety."

"Her safety? But why would…?" Chloe shook her head. Of course Oliver was worried about Lois' safety. Now that she knew Clark's secret, she was likely to be put in danger on occasion.

And Chloe was willing to bet that was what fuelled Ollie's little visit to this woman. He didn't want Lois to go through the same thing she'd been through after she'd found out about him. "I'll talk to him. Thank you."

* * *

"Stay," Clark whispered, pulling her closer, feeling her wriggle her butt against his groin. The brief stirring in his loins calmed almost as soon as it began. He was completely sated, happier than he'd been in his entire life. She was here, in his bed, her head on his pillow, her scent teasing his nose every time she moved.

Unbelievably, the second time they'd made love had been more remarkable than the first.

"Clark we have to go to work." she mumbled tiredly.

"It's Saturday remember?" he replied, kissing her shoulder.

"Oh yeah, how did I forget that?"

He pushed himself up on his elbow and stared down at her profile. Her eyes were closed, but her lips smiled. He brushed his lips against her temple. "I meant stay with me tonight."

"M'kay."

His heart settled down as he sunk back down into his pillows, his arms around her waist. He'd thought her asleep when she abruptly rolled over onto her back. "Clark."

He opened one eye. "What?"

"You promised Chloe you would help her at Watchtower today."

Damn, he'd had such fantasies of spending the entire day in bed with her. But he had promised and he couldn't let Chloe down.

"Come with me." he said, loving the feeling of being able to include Lois in Watchtower business instead of making up an excuse to go alone.

"I could, but that means you have to let go of me."

He tightened his hold on her. "I don't want to."

"You're gonna have to, there are things I need to get."

"Like what?"

"Clothes…"

"You can have my shirt, it looks better on you anyway." he mumbled, kissing a trail along her shoulder. "What more could you possibly need?"

"Pants and underwear?"

He shook his head. "Highly overrated. They cover all the important stuff."

Her head whipped around then, her eyes wide. "Okay who are you and what have you done with Clark?"

"Huh?"

"Where did my sweet farm boy go?"

Clark laughed and sat up. "He's still here don't worry. But you bring something out in me that I can't control, that I don't want to control. I feel more like myself around you than anyone and I've decided that you are going to see everything Lois. Every part of me. I don't want to keep secrets anymore."

She eyed him suspiciously for a brief moment, but then took the opportunity to slip out of the bed. Just as she reached the door, she felt a gust of wind and Clark was standing before her, totally naked and not caring one bit. In fact, he wasn't bashful at all, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

As his head lowered and his lips captured hers, Lois thought that this was a side of Clark Kent that she could definitely get used to. But as he wrapped his arms around her waist, something flashed in her eyes. Something white and she knew what was about to happen.

All of a sudden the scene shifted and she was standing in a dark alley, the feel of his lips still the same against her own. She opened her eyes and saw herself kissing the Green Arrow, who at the time, she'd thought was Oliver.

And then it all dawned on her. Now she knew why it felt so familiar to kiss Clark. She'd always thought it was some sort of subconscious memory from Valentine's Day. But no, the man she was kissing right now was none other than Clark Kent himself.

The memory ended so abruptly that she yanked herself out of Clark's grasp and sank down onto the bed.

"Lois, what is it?"

She looked up at him, at the confusion on his face and felt the sting of betrayal. "It was you." she whispered.

"What was me?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Green Arrow in the alley." The recognition in his eyes told her all she needed to know. She quickly stood up and threw on a robe. "You betrayed me."

"What? Lois no, I was trying to protect you."

"From what?" She spun around to face him angrily. "You were my friend Clark, I thought you were my best friend. I asked for your help and instead, you chose his side."

He grabbed her by the upper arms, trying desperately to make her listen. "Lois, I cared about you. I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"It's bad enough that Oliver was lying to me. That he didn't want me to know the truth about him. But for some reason, I expected more from you Clark. I could understand you not wanting me to know, I can but you lied to me, went behind my back to plot against me while the whole time you were smiling and letting me believe you were on my side. Tell me, how am I supposed to feel about that?"

"Lois, you're overreacting, I didn't plot against you."

Overreacting? That was how he saw this? "Maybe, maybe not." She cursed herself for the tears she could feel brewing and she was unable to stop them. "But it still hurts."

She threw the door open and headed into her room, locking the door behind her. Clark sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands, feeling awful. He could understand why Lois was mad, he would be if the situation were reversed. He had lied to her and that wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't promised to help her first.

He groaned and fell back on the bed. The hurt look in her eyes refused to leave him alone. Why did these things always have a way of coming back to bite him in the butt just when everything was starting to go right for him?

* * *

Oliver tilted his head from side to side, trying to get rid of the kink in his neck that sleeping on Chloe's sofa had put there. He felt awful, his head was pounding, his mouth was as dry as a carpet, and to top it all off he had no hope of getting that woman to reverse what she'd done to Lois.

Maybe he should just leave it alone and hope for the best. The elevator door screamed as it was flung open and the subject of his thoughts walked into the room, looking very angry.

"Lois hey…"

"Why Ollie?"

He shook his head as she came to a stand still in front of his desk. "Why what?"

"Wasn't it bad enough that you didn't want me to know about your extra curricular activities, did you really have to involve Clark to lie to me too?"

Oliver took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew what she was talking about, but he had no answers for her that would make it any better. He'd dreaded the day that she actually found out about that. After all this time he'd thought he was safe.

"I'm sorry."

"Did the two of you have a good laugh about how stupid I am? That you both managed to pull the wool over my eyes?"

"No! Of course not. Clark wasn't doing it for me Lois he was doing it for you and only you. He didn't want you to get hurt by knowing who I really was. I was just trying to protect you."

She closed her eyes and held up her hand. "I swear the next person who tells me they were protecting me is going to be losing some teeth."

"Think about it Lois, after everything Clark had been through with Lana, do you really think he wanted the same future for you? He cared about you back then, more than even he knew and I used him to throw you off the trail so if you're going to blame anyone, blame me."

He had no idea why he was defending Clark when he could've been using this to his advantage. But the cold truth was staring him in the face and he had no choice but to see it. Lois loved Clark. It was that simple.

All the fight seemed to drain out of Lois as she sat down in a chair next to his desk. "I don't want this to come between us."

"It won't, we're still friends aren't we?"

"I meant me and Clark. I don't want this to change the way things are now." She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "I love him Ollie." It hurt to hear, but on some level, he'd always known that something would happen with those two.

"Does he love you?" he asked and his voice sounded rough even to his own ears.

She nodded. "Yes."

"How did you find out Lois?"

She shook her head and sighed. "These stupid visions. They're starting to really annoy me now. If I'm going to make this work with Clark, I can't keep getting memories of things I don't remember or things I should've forgotten a long time ago. The past can't hurt me if I don't keep seeing it all the time." She stood up and walked over to him, calmer now. "I need your help Ollie. The hypnotist told Clark that this couldn't be reversed but I…"

Oliver stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry Lois, we'll go talk to her. See what she can do to help you."

Lois nodded but the frown still remained and Oliver felt a surge of hope that maybe Serena would be willing to help now that Lois wanted it. She'd told him that she would do nothing without Lois' consent, well, now she was going to get it.

He was willing to accept that Lois and Clark were together, but her knowing his secret meant that Clark's enemies would use her as a means to get to him. Clark knew that deep down. God knew his own enemies had come after her just to find out his true identity and almost drowned her. Oliver just couldn't let her be put in that position again.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Chapter Thirty Two**_

"I don't really know what's going to happen here Ollie," Lois said, wringing her hands nervously as they stood at Serena's front door. "I mean, Clark told me she said that this can't be reversed and…"

Oliver grabbed her by the shoulders. "Lois, relax. We're just gonna talk to her. Find out what she can do to help." His face darkened for a second. "You said you love Clark and you wanna make this work right?"

She nodded.

"Then do this…for him."

Lois drew a deep breath into her lungs and turned to the door just as the hypnotist opened it. Serena smiled when she saw who it was. "Lois, it's good to see you. What can I do for you?"

"We were just hoping we could talk to you."

"Of course, come on in." She moved aside to let them in, and Lois caught the rather odd look that she gave to Oliver but shrugged it off.

"So tell me, what can I do to help? You're obviously here about your memories."

"How did you…?" Lois started to ask then realised that Serena already knew all she needed to know. She was slightly uncomfortable being in a room with someone who could read her thoughts.

Serena smiled knowingly. "Don't worry Lois it doesn't quite work like that. I don't pry into people's minds so you have nothing to worry about here. Please, sit."

"So we were just wondering if there was anything you could do to help." Oliver said as he sat down next to Lois on the sofa. Serena sat in a nearby chair, watching the pair intently. Lois wondered what she was seeing, her eyes kept moving from her to Oliver back to her again, like she was reading something.

"I'm not sure what I can do. There's no reversal for the hypnosis."

"Can't you just click your fingers and command me to snap out of it?"

Serena chuckled. "I'm afraid not, no. The human mind is a fragile thing Lois, I don't like to mess around in there."

"Didn't stop you before." Oliver muttered.

"Ollie!" Lois hissed, but Serena's eyes had narrowed and locked in on him.

"Mr Queen could I have a private word with you? If you don't mind that is, Lois."

She shook her head, but wondered what she would want to talk to Oliver about without her around. "Sure, no problem."

"I'll make some tea and we can discuss what it is you want me to help you with okay?"

Serena smiled pleasantly but Lois had a feeling it was all for her benefit. She was clearly annoyed, Lois didn't need to be a mind reader to see that.

Oliver followed Serena into the kitchen and watched as she silently went about making some tea. Then she turned around and he was slightly unnerved by her intense gaze. This woman saw way too much for his liking.

"I understand that you're going through a rough time right now Mr Queen, you have a lot of unresolved anger issues…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, get out of my head okay lady? I didn't come here to be psychoanalysed by you alright? I just want you to help my friend."

"Is that what she is to you? Because I think she's a lot more. You still love her."

Oliver's jaw clenched tight. "That's none of your business."

"It is when you drag her into my house, wanting something you know very well I cannot do. She's happy with Clark, I can see that without even looking into her mind. She's in love. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here today, I already told you I will not accept your money and I will not be bribed." She crossed her arms defiantly and Oliver had to at least appreciate the woman's tenacity. She wouldn't back down at all.

But neither would he.

Deciding that butting heads with the woman was getting him nowhere, Oliver softened his approach. "Look, this is important Miss Fitzgerald. I wouldn't be here if it weren't. Okay yes, I'm still in love with Lois but this isn't about that."

"Then what is it about? Because honestly, I see nothing wrong with the way things are going."

"She's having constant visions…"

"She said they were becoming less frequent."

"Yes but they're still there. And this morning she remembered something that hurt her. I don't want to see her get hurt. She wants this to end so that she…so that she can be happy with Clark without these visions getting in the way." He swallowed, saying those words hurt more than he thought possible.

"I see." Serena said quietly.

"I don't think you do. This isn't just about her emotional state. I'm afraid that she's in danger. Real danger."

At this, Serena's eyes narrowed inquisitively. He had her attention, good. "How?"

"There are things about Clark that you don't know. But he has a lot of enemies and I'm afraid that by association, Lois will be a target. She's already been kidnapped twice this year, she's had countless concussions, I just want her to be safe."

She turned back to the counter to make the tea, taking her time to mull over what he'd just said. "Is this her wish also?"

"Yes, she just wants it to be over so that she can go on with her life."

Serena took in a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I'm not sure what I can do. But if she's in danger- and believe me I would know if you were lying to me- then I owe it to her to do something about that."

"What are you going to do?" Oliver asked, hope now replacing his anger.

"Whatever Lois wants me to do. But understand this Mr Queen, I will do nothing without her consent." She moved a little closer, her eyes penetrating his. "You think you still love her, but I can see that you're confused. You're angry Oliver and until you learn to let go of the past, this is how its always going to be for you."

Oliver bit back the remark he wanted to make, and instead just smiled. "Please, just do this for Lois."

* * *

"Hey Clark, where's your new sidekick?" Chloe asked with a small chuckle as he walked into Watchtower. For a second he thought that maybe Chloe was jealous or thought she was being replaced but then he saw her face, shining with happiness for him and he relaxed. He sat down on the sofa and sighed.

"I don't know actually."

"Don't tell me you've lost her already." It was meant as a joke, yet Clark couldn't help but feel that those words were exactly right.

"I may have."

Chloe's smile faded. "What is it?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "She had another memory this morning. One during which I was kissing her…"

Chloe waited for more, but Clark hesitated. She held her hands out. "Well?"

"As the Green Arrow."

"Ah I see," She nodded, then frowned. "Well actually I don't, what's the problem?"

"She was pretty upset about it." Clark rubbed his hands together and stood up, pacing. He hadn't seen Lois since that morning and he had no idea where she was or if she was still mad at him. Since she wasn't picking up her phone, he guessed she was.

He hated the thought that she was out there upset and angry, it didn't matter that this should not be such an issue to her. She was disappointed in him for lying to her, and that was worse than her being angry at him. He needed to fix this and fast.

"Well, that was a long time ago. How can she be mad about something that happened over two years ago?"

"Because she thinks that I was making fun of her. You should've seen the hurt in her eyes Chloe, I never want to see that look ever again. I promised to help her and by helping Oliver, I showed her where my loyalties lied."

"But you were just looking out for her, surely she understands that?"

"Would you? Put yourself in her place, you ask for my help, I say okay and we come up with a plan. Then the whole time I'm letting you think I'm helping you, I'm secretly going behind your back with your boyfriend to make sure you never find out his secret."

Chloe grimaced. "I see your point. But Lois isn't the kind of person to let this get to her Clark. I mean sure she'd be angry for a couple of hours but she wouldn't hold it against you forever. I think she understands deep down that you were only trying protect her."

"It doesn't matter, I can't find her to talk to her anyway. How am I supposed to sort this mess out if I can't even find her?"

"Did she go into work?"

"I don't know, maybe. But we don't work Saturdays, we were just going to…" He stopped, feeling his cheeks heat up a little.

He didn't really want to tell Chloe the details of his plans with Lois. He'd wanted to spend the entire day with her, in bed, alone. He had been so nervous making love to her last night, he'd been so scared that he would hurt her. But he hadn't and he fell in love with her even more for the simple trust she had in him.

Well until this morning, that was. He'd be lucky if she ever trusted him again. When he'd woken up with her in his arms, he'd never been happier in his life. His shoulders felt weight free and he was in love. It was the best feeling in the world and only Lois Lane could make that happen.

Chloe seemed to get the hint that he didn't want to talk about it because she quickly changed the subject. "Okay well I'll just give Ollie a call and see if he knows where she is."

Clark frowned. "Why would Oliver know?"

"Uh well, because they are still friends." she replied. "And because where else would you go if you just found out your ex had deceived you like that. If I know my cousin, she'll be out for Oliver's blood right about now."

"Good point."

Chloe picked up the phone and dialled Oliver's cell but he didn't pick up. "Huh, straight to voicemail. Maybe someone's in his office." She dialled again and this time a woman answered.

"Hi Mia it's Chloe, listen is Oliver around?"

Clark's brows rose, she was on first name terms with Oliver's staff? Since when?

He watched her facial expression change from smiling to frowning. "He did huh? Was he with Lois Lane by any chance? Oh, okay then, thank you Mia."

She hung up and turned to Clark, her frown deepening. "Mia said that Oliver told her not to direct any calls to him today,"

"Well it is a Saturday." Clark offered.

"Yeah but the reason he did it is what's got me wondering. Mia said that he was going to see a woman in Metropolis, he didn't give a name but she said that she could hear Lois' voice in the background. She's with him Clark."

Understanding dawned on him, and the realisation set his stomach rolling in a panic. "He's taking her to see the hypnotist. How does he even know where she lives?"

Looking a little sheepish, Chloe replied. "That's kind of my fault actually. Lois wanted to find her and I helped track her down. She lives here in Metropolis. Oliver overheard us talking and he went to see her. He turned up at my place drunk last night saying that she was going to fix everything but before I could get a coherent word out of him, he was gone."

His chest felt like it was being squeezed as a lot of little pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "He still loves her."

Suddenly all the hostility towards him when Lois was in the hospital made a lot of sense. Oliver still loved Lois and he had wanted her to stay with him while she got better. Clark squeezed his eyes shut and ran his hands through his hair. "What is he up to Chloe?"

"I don't know Clark, but I say we go find out." 

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Oliver asked, reaching over to place a caring hand on Lois' shoulder. Lois was sitting in his car with her body turned sideways and her legs dangling out and Oliver was kneeling in front of her.

"I'm okay, the dizziness has gone now. Actually I feel pretty good."

"Good, you had me worried there for a moment. But you're sure you're okay? No flashes, no memories popping up?"

"No but they weren't on a constant loop before anyway. They just popped up every now and then, it was worse in the beginning and they were a lot stronger. But no, I feel fine now. I don't even remember what she said to me though, it's all a little fuzzy now."

Oliver smiled, feeling a little better himself now. After Serena had finished talking to Lois, she had looked over at him and he had tried his best to put on his most earnest expression. Serena had nodded, she knew what she had to do and she had done it.

He couldn't believe she had done it. His smile soon faded though as he realised that this really didn't change anything for him. Lois still didn't have feelings for him and even though it hurt, he could accept that. He was just happy knowing that she was now safer.

"How about we get you home?"

She swung her legs into the car and put her seatbelt on. "Yes, I am all for that plan. I'm starving and Smallville owes me lunch."


	33. Chapter 33

_**Chapter Thirty Three**_

After their search had yielded no results, Clark had gone back to the farm to see if Lois was there. She wasn't. They'd been too late arriving at Serena's, she'd told them that Lois and Oliver had long since left.

Something about that woman deeply concerned Clark, she kept looking at him in a way that made him feel very uncomfortable. It was like she was trying so hard, yet unsuccessfully to see into his mind.

He sat down on his bed and flopped onto his back, closing his eyes. He could still smell her, her scent was everywhere. And he was a little surprised to find that he actually missed her. Which was crazy, he knew that, but still he just wanted to hold her and kiss her and try to get back to the way things had been the night before.

When everything had been…perfect.

He heard the back door slam and then her footsteps were heading up the stairs. He sat up just as she opened the door. And she was…smiling?

"Lois, where have you been? I've been worried…"

She didn't answer him.

Instead she closed the door behind her and walked over to him, a sultry look in her eyes, unbuttoning her shirt as she got closer. Clark's eyes felt like they were going to pop right out of his head as she threw it on the floor and straddled his lap, her lips finding his instantly. Obviously she wasn't angry at him anymore but…

"I'm sorry," she said, kissing his jaw. "I know you were only looking out for me."

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Sshh, I know." She shut him up with a kiss, while her hands got busy taking off his shirt.

Confused but too aroused to care at that moment, Clark wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

* * *

"What did you do Oliver?" Chloe demanded as she stormed into his penthouse later that afternoon. What the hell did he pay security for? It seemed everyone had a free pass up here lately.

"Hello to you too Chloe, is this official Watchtower business because if not, I have some phone calls to return." He watched as she leaned her clenched fists on his desk and brought her face closer to his. Her expression was deadly serious, in fact, she was angry.

"I'm going to ask one more time, what did you do?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"Lois. I know you took her to see Serena today Oliver, what did she do to her?"

"Nothing."

Chloe scoffed, clearly disbelieving. "I swear if you have done anything to mess up Clark's chance with her I'll…"

"Excuse me? You'll what?" He asked, his temper now starting to rise too. "It's interesting how you assume that I'm out to ruin their newfound relationship, which I might add, isn't even official, yet you don't actually see the facts."

Chloe huffed out a sigh and folded her arms over her chest. "And they would be?"

"Lois came to me Chloe. She was upset about something, she asked me to take her to see Serena. I was only being a good friend."

"I'm surprised you even know how to be one of those anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean? I'll always care about Lois." He stood up to face her, his anger starting to resurface.

"You've been blaming Clark for something that isn't even his fault for almost a year now Oliver. When are you going to grow up and realise that he didn't do it to hurt you. He didn't want you to make a mistake that you couldn't come back from."

"And that wasn't his choice to make!" He yelled.

"So what? You wanted to go after Lex, punish him for what his father did all those years ago. You know how much I hate Lex but do you of all people really believe that he deserves that?" She yelled back, her cheeks flushed red with anger.

"You are the most selfish, irresponsible man I've ever met! And you're supposed to be the Green Arrow. How can you go about saving the world when you have thoughts about killing a man who didn't even do what you want to punish him for?"

"I deserved to know who killed my parents Chloe."

She released a long, slow breath. "Yes I know. But can you really blame Clark for not telling you the truth when we all knew you would go off the deep end?"

Oliver threw up his hands. "Oh well thanks for the support, _friend_."

"Look at you now, you're only proving our point."

He knew she was right, but he didn't want to admit it. He'd been doing nothing but trying to track Lex down in the last year, drinking himself to sleep most nights, throwing himself into a routine of partying to dull the pain.

He walked over to the balcony doors and opened one, the fresh air filled his lungs as he drew a deep calming breath. Slowly, he turned back to Chloe, who was still standing rigid by the side of his desk.

"I just wish that Clark had had more faith in me, that he would've trusted me enough to tell me, that's all."

"Is that what this is about? The fact that you think Clark doesn't trust you?"

"Do any of you?" He countered. "I know you all thought I was going to go after Lex, but I had a right to know who murdered my parents Chloe." Tears stung his eyes as he thought of them. "They were my mom and dad."

Chloe moved closer, her body now losing some of its hostility. "Look, Lionel's dead Ollie. You can't punish the son for the sins of the father. I think it's time that you let this go. And talk to Clark. Despite what he says I think he's missed having you around."

"Really?"

"Well, until this morning yeah. But he knows that you went to Serena with Lois, he knows that you're still in love with Lois."

"I uh…"

Chloe shook her head. "There's no point in denying it Ollie, it's obvious that you do."

She tilted her head and stared at him with a sympathetic expression that annoyed him. He didn't want her pity.

"Please Oliver, tell me what happened when you went to see Serena."

He sat down on the sofa and put his head in his hands. How had this gotten so out of hand. "I'm a mess Chloe. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. My business, Green Arrow, Lois, I feel like I have no control over anything."

"But you do Ollie, you control the choices you make. Listen to me, I need you answer me honestly,"

He looked up at her, her eyes piercing into his. "Is what you feel for Lois real, or is it simply a way of recapturing a time when everything seemed right in your life?"

"No. Maybe, I don't know." He thought about Chloe's question. Was that what he was doing? Trying to go back to a time when everything was simple. He'd had a great girl, he'd known what his role was in the world. Now everything seemed so…messed up. Maybe he was just trying to live in the past.

Then a thought occured to him and he groaned out loud.

"What is it?" Chloe asked.

"Clark's gonna kill me. Or thank me, I'm not sure which but I'm gonna go with the first one."

Chloe's brows furrowed, a suspicious look in her eye. "Why?"

* * *

Clark pressed a kiss to Lois's jaw and felt her smile as she leaned back into his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her in close and buried his face in her hair. Her scent, which was already becoming all too familiar to him, teased his senses.

"I can't believe we've been in bed this long. We really should get up." He murmured against her hair.

"Why? You wanted me to stay with you tonight didn't you? Well, here I am. Let's make the most of it huh?" she said, turning in his arms.

He stared into her hazel eyes, saw the love shining there for him and felt himself relax a little. He'd been scared earlier when he'd found out where she'd gone. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she wanted to get rid of her visions. But to Clark, that meant getting rid of memories and he didn't want to go back to the way things had been before.

"What happened Lois?"

"What do you mean?"

"With Serena. What did she do?"

Lois took a moment to think about her answer, her fingers absent mindedly playing against his chest.

"I asked her to stop those visions. Don't get me wrong I love that my memories unlocked a different side of you but I wanted it to end."

"And did she? Stop the visions I mean?" He cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing gently across her jawline.

Lois shrugged. "I guess so, I mean I can't remember what she said or did after that but I haven't had a memory flash all day so I guess it worked."

"And you still remember everything?"

Lois frowned, bemused at his question. "Of course, do you honestly think I could forget?"

The pressure on his chest eased and he felt like he could take a breath again, everything was going to be okay. Lois was okay, she was still here, she still loved him.

"I love you." he whispered.

She leaned in, smiled, and then kissed him. "I love you too Smallville."

His ears picked up the sounds of cries for help and, groaning, he pulled back. "Sorry Lois, gotta go to work. No rest for the Blur." He chuckled and kissed her one last time and got out of bed. By the time she'd sat up, he was already dressed.

He'd just reached the door when her next words had his feet freezing on the spot and his heart along with them.

"Clark, what's a Blur?"


	34. Chapter 34

_**Chapter Thirty Four**_

"You want to run that by me again? I don't think I heard you right." Chloe said, shaking her head as she sat down next to Oliver in his apartment.

"Lois remembers everything about her relationship with Clark. With one exception…"

"She doesn't have any knowledge of The Red-Blue-Blur." Chloe finished for him.

"Right. Everything she knew about the Blur and who he actually is, is gone. Serena made her forget everything about Clark's secret identity but she made sure that the memories of their past stayed intact."

"How could she do that if she doesn't know Clark's secret?"

"She knows enough to know that Lois could get hurt by knowing and…" He looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "And I sort of told her that Lois agreed to having it done. Serena knew from looking into my mind that I was telling the truth, Lois was in a lot of danger, so she worked her magic and erased it. I don't think she's your typical hypnotist Chloe."

Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, this was so not how she thought her day would go today. She had no idea what to do with this information.

Sure, at first she was a little sceptical about Lois being brought in on the whole Kryptonian thing, she never thought Clark would open up that can of worms with her. But in the end, seeing how happy Clark was now and how Lois looked when she was in Watchtower, Chloe knew that Lois knowing the truth wasn't such a bad thing.

"Surely you had to know that Lois would find out about him the second she set foot back in the Planet."

"Yes but she won't know that it's Clark. She won't be put in the kind of danger she was in when she was with me." he said solemnly.

Chloe frowned at him, sometimes she really wanted to slap him. She knew he was in pain but this was taking things way too far.

"Ollie how could you do that to her? To Clark?"

His eyes flashed angrily. "I don't owe him anything! But I owe it to her to make sure she's safe."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this but it's not your responsibility anymore. You forfeited that right years ago when you…"

"When I left her behind, yeah I know. You don't need to remind me that I made a mistake." He sighed and stood up, pacing around the living room, rubbing his temples. He looked older, the stress of the past few months taking a toll on him. "But your right."

"I am?"

"I really messed up Chloe. I won't regret that she doesn't know who Clark really is anymore but I need to let go and…she's with Clark now. Is she happy with him? I mean really?"

"Yes Ollie, she is. Lois moved on a long time ago, she had to because you gave her no choice. Now things are going great with her and Clark and you can't stand that can you? They love each other, can't you see that?"

He paused before speaking, hands on hips, head cast downwards. "I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"It's a little late for that don't you think?" Clark's voice said from the doorway and as Chloe looked over at him, she knew this was going to be bad. The question was, did she stay and mediate, or go?

Oliver for his part, looked nervous and he should, Chloe thought. He had this coming.

"Clark, what uh…?" Oliver began but Clark cut him off. His face was strangely blank, like he was working hard to control whatever he was feeling and Chloe knew that wasn't good.

"You and I need to have a little talk."

"I'll just get out of your way guys," Chloe said, looking at Clark as she walked past him. "Go easy Clark."

Clark gave her a glare but nodded and she knew without a doubt that he was going to be anything but nice.

Clark stared at Oliver, who kept his eyes on the elevator doors long after they'd closed. For a few minutes Clark didn't know where to start. His mind was still in shock from hearing those words come from Lois' mouth. He had never thought that her not knowing could hurt, but it did. A lot.

Now it felt like he was back to square one with her. Well not square one, she still loved him and considering what Oliver had already done, it was a relief that he hadn't taken that from him too.

He stood next to the elevator doors, arms crossed over his chest, hoping that he was somehow managing to convey what he was feeling. He was angry, but more than that, he was hurt. How could Oliver do this to people he called his friends?

"Okay this is awkward, why don't you just come out and say whatever it is you wanna say to me Clark."

"I trusted you Oliver. I thought we were friends."

"So did I." he replied in a quiet voice.

"I get that you're still angry with me, I can understand that. But why did you do this? Revenge?"

Oliver snorted. "Come on Clark, I'm a bigger man than that. I don't need to exact any kind of revenge on you."

"Then why go after the one thing that means so much to me? It can't be a surprise that I love Lois."

Oliver stilled, Clark's words hitting a nerve. "I guess it's just a little weird to hear you say that about anyone that isn't Lana Lang."

Clark shook his head, disappointed in the man he called a friend. "You can play this game as long as you want Oliver. Up to now it was only me you were getting at, but you've brought Lois into this and I won't sit back and let it happen."

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "That sounds a lot like a threat to me."

"No not a threat…" Clark said, walking slowly towards him. "A promise."

"I did what I thought was right. Can you honestly tell me that you think Lois knowing about you is a good thing?"

Clark pushed the anger deep down and focused on the wall behind Oliver's head. He couldn't look him in the eyes anymore, knowing what he'd done and why he'd done it.

"This isn't about Lois' safety Oliver and don't pretend otherwise. You're jealous…"

"Please," Oliver said in disgust. "Jealous of you? A farm boy who likes to play the big hero. Who do you think you are, some kind of saviour? Here to save us all from ourselves is that it?"

"Oliver…" Clark warned.

"You know what's interesting? You say you love Lois, yet you're willing to let her get hurt for the sake of not having to hide your secret from her. You're opening her up to a world she's not equipped to deal with and you just don't care." Oliver moved in closer, until they were practically nose to nose.

It was a challenge, Clark realised, sadly one Oliver could never win unless he had Kryptonite on him. And that wasn't Clark being conceited, that was just stating a simple fact.

"You need to back off Oliver, right now."

"Or what? You'll use your super duper powers on me?" he said mockingly. "I did what needed to be done. What you're not man enough to do. You should never have told her in the first place Clark. How would you feel if one day she got hurt or God forbid, killed because of who you are? Could you live with knowing that you were the one who put her in that position?"

Clark grabbed his shirt in both fists and lifted him a couple of inches off the ground, wanting badly to hit him but he knew that he couldn't, or wouldn't. Clark was not that kind of person. But he was angry, and he wanted to make Oliver pay.

"You know I would protect her."

"And what if you can't? What if one day you're too late?" Oliver asked, his voice quiet as he stared into Clark's eyes. Clark fell silent. Because Oliver was right, if he was too late someday he would never forgive himself. Instead he focused on the real problem, the elephant in the room that badly needed discussing.

"When are you ever going to learn? I am not your enemy Oliver!"

"No? Sure feels like it! A real friend would not let me go on wondering who had killed my parents. Do you know how many years I've had to live with that? And you knew for over a year that it was Lionel and you said nothing!" he yelled back.

Clark dropped him and backed off, all the way to the other side of the room because he could no longer control his anger and he was afraid of what he might do if Oliver came out with any more smart ass comments.

"As you said before, I was doing the right thing. You're too unpredictable Oliver, I couldn't risk you going after Lex to get your revenge."

"That wasn't your call to make though was it? After what Lex has done to you, you seriously want to protect him? Do you really think maybe there's still some trace of the guy who'd once been your friend? Newsflash Clark, Lex was never your friend. He wanted your life, your family."

"Murdering him for what Lionel did isn't right and you know that. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you would go down that road. You've always had that dark side in you, I just thought that maybe you would be a bigger man and let it go."

"You son of a…" Without warning, he threw himself at Clark and punched him right in the face. Clark heard the crack of his wrist before he had time to fully move out of the way.

He watched as Oliver backed away and fell onto the sofa, cradling his arm against him. His chest was moving up and down rapidly as the fight seemed to drain out of him.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, staying where he was.

"What do you care?"

"I do care Oliver. Okay, I admit that I probably should've told you about your parents but I was worried about what you would do."

Oliver flexed his fingers and winced, ignoring Clark completely. How had things gotten this bad between them, Clark wondered.

"Look Oliver…" His phone beeping cut him off. He took it out of his pocket and opened the text message. It was from Lois.

_Smallville where are you? Better not be chasing any juicy leads without me, come home soon, love you xxx_

Despite everything that was happening at the moment, Clark couldn't stop the grin appearing as he stared at her last words._ Home. Love you_. It was strange seeing that at the end of a message from her, since she wasn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve but it was a nice feeling.

He quickly typed out a reply telling her he would be there as soon as he could and put his phone away. When he looked over, he was met with Oliver's intense stare.

"You know you look like a lovesick teenager right now." he commented, a hint of disgust in his tone.

Clark squared his shoulders, not prepared to let Oliver bring him down. "For the first time in my life I'm happy Oliver. Lois makes me happy. Why can't you understand that?"

Oliver stood on shaky legs and Clark noticed that he was now a little pale. He quickly x-rayed his arm and saw that his wrist was broken.

"Oliver, you need to get that looked at."

He ignored him, headed over to his drinks cabinet and poured himself a large whiskey. Clark had no idea what to say next. They needed to fix this, but how?

"I'm sorry Clark."

Clark blinked, did he just hear right? "What?"

Oliver turned around and pinned him with a glare that was anything but apologetic. "I said I'm sorry. For the way I went about things. I don't regret having her memory of the Blur erased, that was the right thing to do no matter what you say. But I guess I'm sorry for holding on to something that was over a long time ago. She's with you now, and though it kills me to admit it, I think this is the one for her. You're the one."

Clark smiled briefly, thinking the exact same thing about Lois. She was the one. But now things were so much more complicated. "But you messed things up Oliver. It's easy to say that she would be safer without knowing, I know I didn't really want her to know in the first place but once she did, things were…better. I could truly be myself around her. And she understood me in a way that no one else has before."

Oliver nodded, understanding showing through the pain on his face. "I know that you haven't always had it easy when it comes to trusting people with your secret Clark."

"Yet you took it all away from me anyway. Do you hate me that much?"

Oliver took another sip and sighed. "No I don't hate you Clark." Then his eyes met his and Clark saw…nothing. It was just blank and that worried him. "I just don't like you very much right now. Please, just go."

"Oliver…" Clark stepped forward, not wanting to leave things like this.

But Oliver just turned his back on him and said. "Clark, just go."

Reluctantly, Clark headed over to the elevator and closed the doors. But as it started its descent, he stared through the metal doors and into Oliver's living room.

He watched as Oliver sat back down, cradling his broken arm against himself, and was shocked when he heard something that sounded a lot like Oliver crying. He had come here feeling so much anger at him, but now he just felt sad.

* * *

"About time you got home." Lois said as he walked in the door. He couldn't get his argument with Oliver out of his mind and Lois had obviously noticed because she was staring at him with a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist to bring her in for a kiss. He loved that he could do that with such ease now, that he could touch her and kiss her all he wanted.

"You sure?" she asked, studying his face for any tell-tale signs that he was lying to her.

He smiled and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm great Lois."

"Okay well while you were gone I picked out a couple of dvds. I thought we could have a movie night and just be lazy for an evening. Just the two of us."

He kissed her again and let her go. "That sounds great but I wanna go get cleaned up first." _And call Chloe to check on Oliver_. "Why don't you pop one in and I'll be right back."

"Okay, I hope you like shark movies. As he turned away she smacked him on the butt, grinning. "Don't forget the popcorn when you come back down Smallville. Extra butter."

As she kneeled down in front of the TV, Clark paused on the stairs and watched her. He wondered what was going to happen now. Should he go back to keeping his secret from her? Or should he tell her the truth?

Thing was, if he did tell her, he had no way of knowing if her reaction this time around was going to be what he was expecting from the first time. She'd known about the Blur then, what he did and that he was a good person.

Now she knew nothing so he had no idea what her reaction would be. And that scared him enough to know that he wasn't going to tell her, at least tonight. Besides, Oliver's question kept ringing in his head.

What if something happened and he was too late? The idea alone was enough to make him shudder so he put it out of his head and went upstairs to change, his only plan of action, to spend the evening in the arms of the woman he loved.


	35. Chapter 35

___**Chapter Thirty Five**_

Clark woke up with a start, his palms sweating. For a brief moment he was still stuck in his dream, well, nightmare would be a more accurate term. The fears he'd had last night about telling Lois his secret again had come true, she'd been hurt and he hadn't been able to get to her in time.

If he'd been able to think clearly right then, he would've realised that it was probably just his own mind throwing that scenario up because of the fight he'd had with Oliver, but at the moment all he could think about was where Lois was. Was she safe? Where was she?

_Lois_.

Blinking fast he rolled onto his back and reached out to his right. When he felt her lying next to him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down at her, she was facing away from him, her hair fanned out on his pillow.

_Just a dream, that's all it was_.

He turned to his side and took in a deep breath, the scent of her hair calming his erratic heartbeat. __

Just a dream.

It had been such a vivid dream, he could remember every little detail. He wrapped an arm around Lois' waist and pulled her closer to him, needing to feel her body against his. She stirred and half turned, and then smiled and it took his breath away.

"Smallville," she said in that sleepy voice that he found so sexy. "You frown any harder and you're gonna end up with permanent wrinkles."

_Hardly_, he thought. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

She pressed her fingers to her eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them and then focused on him, serious this time. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

She tilted her head and gave him that look, the one that said she knew he was lying. "You were so quiet last night, did something happen?"

She turned all the way round to face him, her head resting on her hand against her pillow, his position mirroring hers. They were so close, they were practically nose to nose. She reached out and smoothed his ruffled hair behind his ear. He loved it when she did that. He didn't think he would ever get enough of her touching him. He caught her wrist and pressed a kiss into her palm.

"No, everything's fine. It's still early, why don't you go back to sleep,"

"How am I supposed to sleep when I know something's bothering you?"

"I just had a bad dream that's all."

"What was it about?"

He closed his eyes, willing the images to go away. They didn't. He could still see her eyes, the fear in them, it was…overwhelming. "My worst nightmare came true."

"Tell me." she said softly, tracing her fingertips lightly over his eyelids in an effort to get him to open them.

"I lost you."

She frowned. "Where?"

"No Lois, I _lost_ you." He hadn't realised that he was shaking until she grabbed his hand and squeezed it between both of hers.

"I'm here Smallville, I'm not going anywhere. Can't you tell me what happened?"

He didn't want to talk about it, he just wanted to hold her. So he leaned in and kissed her softly, trailing his lips down her jaw line and onto her neck. But she pulled back.

"Don't change the subject," she said, and he could see the worry in her eyes.

He cleared his throat and let his fingers drift lightly over her soft skin. "It was just a dream Lo, that's all. I'm fine I promise."

She didn't believe him. She opened her mouth to say as much when her cell phone buzzing cut her off. She hesitated, staring at him, waiting for him to answer her, but after a moment she snatched her phone up off the nightstand and flipped it open.

"Lane!" she huffed, clearly annoyed with whoever had decided to ring her at seven in the morning. Clark watched her face as she listened, she really was so beautiful it made his chest ache. He marvelled at how he'd never seen it before, that she was the one he needed and wanted. Now that he knew, he was never going to let her get away, he loved her too much.

"What story?" she asked and Clark guessed it was their editor on the phone. Then her eyes popped wide. "You're kidding. In Metropolis? How would I know about that?"

_This could not be good_, Clark thought, warning bells going off in his head.

"I'm on my way now, yeah, yeah don't worry, I'm on it." She hung up and turned back to Clark, excitement warring with the worry in her gaze.

"Who was that?" Clark asked, _as if you don't already know._

"That was Randall. Apparently I was supposed to turn in a story about a new hero that's popped up in Metropolis. The Red-Blue-Blur. Have you heard of him?"

The irony of that question did not escape him as he chose his answer carefully. "A little, why?"

"Well see here's the thing. He's not exactly new to the scene. Apparently he's been around for months, saving those that need saving. How could I have missed that? Unless…" she paused, frowning and Clark didn't like where this was going.

"Unless what?"

"Unless Serena did something to make me forget. I thought she was just stopping those memory flashes, but what if she did something else?"

_Just tell her Clark_. But he couldn't. Not yet. He wanted nothing more than to go back to the way things had been the previous day, no barriers between them but his dream was still fresh in his mind. And he wanted to go and see Serena before he made any rash decisions. He wanted to hear straight from her, what she had done to Lois.

He wasn't naïve, he knew that Lois would find out about the Blur eventually, he'd just been hoping to postpone it a little. But that wasn't going to happen now. She knew and knowing Lois, she was going to go in all guns blazing until she got what she wanted.

"I don't think she would do something like that Lois." he replied, well aware that that was exactly what she had done.

"I have to go, I can't think about this right now. I need to get to the Planet." She made a move to get out of bed but paused, then she turned back around and laid back down next to him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Yeah, I'm fine." _Liar_.

"Well I guess we should really get to work then huh?"

There was no denying the excitement that was so evident in her eyes, she wanted to find out about this mystery guy she'd never met before. Someone like Lois could only hide so much. With a heavy sigh Clark watched her get out of bed and head for the bathroom. What was he going to do?

* * *

"Well, well, look who's decided to join the rest of us in the land of the conscious and sober." Chloe jabbed as Oliver, looking a little worse for wear, strolled into Watchtower. "How's the arm?" she asked, nodding her head towards the cast on his wrist.

"Broken." he murmured, plonking himself down onto the sofa with a thud.

"You know you only have yourself to blame for all this Ollie."

"I really don't need another lecture right now Chloe. I'm well aware that I screwed up."

"Are you though?" she asked, leaning her elbow on her station as she looked at him.

"Yes. I've made such a mess of things." He dropped his head into his hands. When he looked back up, Chloe was actually a little surprised to see so much regret there. "He's never going to forgive me is he?"

"Is that what you want? For Clark to forgive you?"

Oliver leaned against the back of the sofa, closing his eyes as he spoke. "I stayed up all last night. I didn't get a wink of sleep."

"What, not even the vodka helped?" Chloe teased but stopped when Oliver threw her a dirty look. "Sorry, carry on."

"I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about what I'd done. I really want to regret that Lois doesn't know about Clark anymore, I do but I can't. I want more than anything for her to be safe."

"And again Ollie, that's not your call to make anymore. She's with Clark now."

"I know!" he snapped. "Sorry, I…look what I'm trying to say is that I regret that way I went about things. But more than anything else, I'm sorry for what I said to Clark last night. I've come to the realisation that he wasn't entirely in the wrong for not telling me about Lionel. I guess it just hurts to know that he was right all along, that I couldn't be trusted."

Chloe shuffled her weight from one foot to the other. "Don't get me wrong Oliver it's great that you've come around but shouldn't you be saying this to Clark?"

Oliver scoffed. "Yeah he's really going to be in the mood to listen to me right now."

His eyes met Chloe's and instantly she knew what he was trying to get at. "Oh no, I am not getting the middle of this Oliver. You did this, now you need to fix it."

"But you're his best friend, if he's going to listen to anyone, it'll be you."

"No, I'm not doing it. As his best friend I am staying out of this one. It's up to you to fix what's been broken. If it even can be fixed."

"I'm such an idiot!" he spat at himself, standing up to pace around. Chloe tracked his movements, unsure what exactly it was he wanted her to do. There was no way she was getting involved in this.

"Talk to him Ollie, you might find him willing to listen."

"We had a little 'talk' last night Chloe."

"Yeah and how exactly did you end up with that again?" she asked, pointing to his cast.

"I uh…threw a punch at him. Before you say anything I know okay? I know, but I got angry and I wasn't thinking clearly and all this rage just came bubbling up to the surface."

"You need to go and talk to him Oliver, but not yet. Give it a couple of days, let the dust settle and then try again. Clark's not the kind of guy to hold a grudge."

"Maybe, maybe not. But I gotta try Chloe," He looked at her with the steely resolve she used to see in him all the time, before the news of his parents murder, the alcohol and late nights took that out of him.

"One way or another, I'll make this right."

_I hope so Oliver, I really do_, Chloe thought to herself as Oliver walked out.

* * *

"Mr Kent, I wish I could say what a surprise but it's not. I knew you would be coming. Come on in," Serena said as she held her door open for him.

He followed her into her living room and took the seat she offered. He was feeling antsy, he'd left Lois at the Planet knee deep in recent articles about the Blur and he wanted to get back there as soon as possible. But this was something he needed to do.

"I'm starting to feel rather popular you know. First your friend shows up, then your girlfriend and your other 'friend' if that's what you call him."

"I'm not sure anymore." he replied, knowing she meant Oliver.

"Hmm. So tell me, what can I do for you?"

"I know that you did something to Lois, something that made her memory flashes stop. What exactly did you do?"

Serena let out a sigh. "I don't mean any disrespect with this Clark but I'm starting to wish that Lois had never come into my booth that night."

"You and me both."

"But to answer your question, I simply hypnotised her again, and while she was under I gave her certain commands to follow once she came to."

"What kind of commands?" Clark asked, not liking the sound of that one bit.

"That her mind should now rest, that she had received enough memories and…well," she trailed off, looking at Clark uncomfortably. "Mr Queen told me something, that Lois knew something about you. He didn't specify what, but he said that Lois was in a lot of danger by knowing. When I was talking with Lois, I got the impression that she's a bit of a trouble finder, is that right?"

Clark huffed out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Well, the thing is, I was drawn to that mostly, and I knew that I couldn't let her get hurt."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry Serena but that seems a little presumptuous of you."

"It was and for that I am sorry. I let myself get swayed by Mr Queen, I should've seen then that it was just about his pride. But there's something I want to tell you that might alter your perception of why he did it. When I saw his thoughts, just before he asked me to do what needed to be done to protect Lois, I saw the truth. His actions weren't born out of revenge Clark, or vengeance, he really was just trying to protect a woman he thought he was still in love with."

"You mean he's not?" For some reason, Serena's words reassured him, Oliver wasn't trying to destroy what he had with Lois, even if that's how it started out, Clark knew that wasn't the case anymore.

Serena shook her head. "No, I don't believe so. He's just very confused and alone right now. He needs his friends more than ever."

Clark skipped past that, unable to respond because he honestly didn't know what his relationship with Oliver was anymore. Things had changed and he didn't know if it was for the better or not. "But what about Lois?"

Serena crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed them. "I gave her instructions to forget your secret. Now I don't know what that secret is, and I don't want to know, its none of my business. But Lois knew and in her mind she associated whatever it was with the word secret, that's how she forgot. I truly am sorry Clark, but I thought I was doing the right thing."

Clark shook his head again. If one more person told him they thought they were doing the right thing he was going to explode. Since when had Lois' life become public property? Why weren't they allowed to just be happy and be left alone?

"Can you stop my memories?"

"Yes, if that's what you really want." She narrowed her eyes. "But something tells me that you don't want that. Not yet anyway."

"I really don't know. I just want things to go back to normal. But they can't because I can't risk telling her again."

"I know I said it's none of my business but…" She looked at him with those eyes that made him feel uncomfortable, like she could see into his very soul. Then she shook her head and murmured something about a blank slate and he guessed that she'd been trying to read him again and failed. Of that he was glad. She didn't need to know anymore than she already did.

"Whatever it was that you told Lois, she handled it well didn't she?"

"Yeah she did." Clark smiled, remembering the way she'd acted after he'd told her everything. "She's amazing, she took it all in and didn't even bat an eye."

"But now you're conflicted?" For a woman who couldn't read his thoughts, she was surprisingly on the money, Clark thought.

"I don't want her to get hurt. I don't know if I could handle it."

Out of nowhere, Serena's hand covered his and her thumb smoothed over the back of his hand in a comforting gesture. "Maybe I was wrong to take her memories away, maybe I rushed in before thinking. Why don't you take some time, decide what it is you really want Clark. If by that time you decide that you want her to know again, well, tell her."

Clark knew that was never going to be an easy decision. To willingly let Lois in on his secret was something he'd never wanted to do before because her life would be better off if she didn't know. But now he wasn't sure what to think.

"Clark, I hope you believe me when I say that I really am sorry for any trouble I might have caused."

He drew enough strength to muster a small smile, after all, this wasn't really down to her. She may have done what Oliver asked, but she was only doing what she thought was right. He just wished that people would leave them alone and let him and Lois decide what was best for themselves.

"I do, thank you for your time but I guess I should be going."

She walked him to the door and paused as he stepped outside. "If you change your mind, I'll be here to help Clark, anytime."

He thanked her again and headed back to the Planet, his head a swirling pit of questions to which he had no answers. As he walked into the bullpen he was greeted by the rather lovely sight of Lois' behind sticking out from under her desk.

"Lois?"

There was a loud clunk followed by. "Ow! Dammit!" And then Lois emerged, with a scrunched up face and rubbing the back of her head.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Do I look okay? That was totally your fault Smallville." she huffed, sitting down in her chair.

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you. What were you doing under your desk anyway?"

"I dropped my pen, which I still can't find." she grumbled.

Clark looked around on the floor. "It's right there Lois." He bent down and retrieved the pen from under the far left corner of her desk and then handed it to her.

"How did you see that, I couldn't and I looked everywhere."

Clark swallowed, the lies not coming so easily to him as they once had. He'd gotten so used to telling them that they'd become second nature to him. But since she'd found out the truth, he was having a hard time actually telling a lie to her face. It felt like a huge betrayal somehow and he didn't like it.

"Obviously you didn't look everywhere or you would've found it." he chuckled.

She snatched her pen and turned back to her desk, muttering 'smart ass' under her breath.

"So did you find anything while I was gone?"

That got her attention as he'd known it would. "I did actually. This Blur's been one busy guy. I wonder what his story is."

"Maybe he doesn't have one." Clark shrugged, going for nonchalant.

She stood and leaned over her desk, resting her hands on the desk as she looked him in the eye. What he saw there worried him, what she said next worried him even more.

"Mark my words Clark Kent, I won't stop until I land the first, worldwide, exclusive interview with this guy"

She had said those exact same words before. _Tell her._ His heart was telling him one thing, his head another. But one thing he knew for sure, Lois had to know, one way or another. And soon.


	36. Chapter 36

_**Chapter Thirty Six**_

Lois trudged through the bullpen seeking out Clark, he wasn't there…again. Where did he keep disappearing to? She had a major lead on the Blur and the first person she'd wanted to share it with had been him.

Which was a surprise in itself because she never shared her leads or by-lines with anyone. She was very protective of them and her sources. But Clark wasn't just anyone anymore was he? No, he was…something else entirely now and she found herself wanting to share everything with him.

It was almost time to leave for the day and he'd told her he'd be back to pick her up but he wasn't anywhere in sight. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket and was about to dial when it started ringing, the caller id stating it was Oliver.

"Hey Ollie, you haven't seen Clark by any chance have you?"

His voice came through quiet, almost reluctant, she thought. "Uh no I haven't. Listen Lois are you busy tonight?"

"Well since you ask," she started grinning. "I'm going Blur hunting."

"What?" He sounded shocked. "Lois no, it's too dangerous, you could get hurt."

"And that would be different than any other day here how?"

"Fair point but still, you don't even know this guy."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ollie, he's not dangerous…"

"How do you know that for sure?" he pressed.

"Well, I don't for sure but come on, the guy saves lives. How can he possibly be dangerous?"

"Just trust me on this one, you don't wanna get mixed up in his world."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You sound like you know him." She waited a beat. "Do you know him?"

There was a definite hesitation there, she thought. Maybe the Green Arrow knew him but couldn't say, no matter, she would find out eventually. "No, of course not. But just because he makes a few saves doesn't mean you can just run in all guns blazing. I know you and you're only gonna end up hurt…or worse."

"Ollie, we've been over this, I am a big girl I don't need protecting. I didn't need protecting from your secret did I?"

"Yes actually you did." he said tersely and she knew he was thinking of the time she'd been kidnapped and her head pushed under water in order to learn the Green Arrow's true identity.

She waved her hand and sat down in her chair. "That's beside the point. Was there a reason you called?"

She heard Oliver sigh and knew that she'd convinced him to drop it. He knew her well.

"Well before you go doing something reckless and endangering your life…again, I was hoping that I could invite you to dinner."

At this she frowned. "Uh listen Ollie…"

"It's nothing like that Lois. I just need to talk to you. It's really important."

He sounded troubled, something was definitely bothering him and she was still his friend. "Okay, where?"

"My place. I'll pick you up, I'm cooking."

That spiked her curiosity. Oliver usually preferred an open setting if he had bad news to deliver, that way the recipient couldn't make a scene. Though she'd always wondered what he'd actually do if said person did actually make a scene, how he would cope with it.

"Uh sure okay, I'm almost done here. Pick me up in a half hour."

"Great, thanks Lois I appreciate this."

"Oliver," Her tone softened. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, well I hope it will be. I'll see you later."

* * *

"So how are things between you and Lois?" Chloe asked as she clacked away on her keyboard at Watchtower.

"Great actually, well aside from…" Clark replied, standing behind her in his Red-Blue-Blur outfit. He'd stopped by to see her between calls on his patrol, wanting to know if anything he might've missed had popped up on her radar. But she suspected there was more to his visit than work. He looked like he really needed someone to talk to.

Chloe stopped and turned around, her head tilting in sympathy. It seriously had to suck that he'd had everything he'd ever wanted right there in front of him and he'd only been allowed to have that for a day.

She truly felt bad for him and for Lois, because even though she didn't know anymore, she was missing out on a very important part of Clark. And Clark was missing out on sharing that side of him with her again.

"Yeah I know. I'm sorry Clark."

He shrugged and gave her a sad smile. "It's not your fault Chloe."

"No but I still feel bad. And I could kill Oliver. Honestly I don't know what he was thinking."

"I do. But as much as I want to hate him right now, I can't. He needs help Chlo."

She shook her head. "I don't know how you can be so calm about all this. If it was me I would've done a lot worse than just break his wrist."

Clark frowned, looking defensive. "I didn't break his wrist, he went for me."

"You know what I meant."

"Yeah. Believe me, I'm as angry with him as I can get but what would it solve to act on that anger? Nothing, it would just make the situation worse. Then I would have to explain to Lois why I beat up her friend."

Chloe watched him for a silent moment, wondering what was going on inside his head. Sometimes he was very difficult to read. Others, he was like an open book.

"Speaking of Lois, what _are_ you going to do?"

"About what?"

She sighed in exasperation. "You know what! Are you going to tell her your secret?"

Clark looked at her and opened his mouth to speak, but then it was like he was looking right through her. His eyes became unfocused, as if he was seeing something she couldn't.

"Clark?"__

"Well thank God I finally found a normal guy." Clark heard Lois say. He remembered this. It had been in the Daily Planet, after he and Lois had been infected with Red K on Valentine's Day. She was standing in front of the window, him behind her with his arms around her waist.

His face heated at the memory of what he'd planned to do in that office with her but he pushed it aside to focus on whatever this vision was supposed to mean.

Chloe studied his face as he seemed to be locked in some sort of trance, much like the ones Lois used to have. It was pretty clear he was remembering something.

"Clark?" She shook his arm gently and he snapped his attention back to her, blinking rapidly. "What happened?"

He frowned, thinking. "I'm not sure."

"Did you have a memory flash thingy?" she asked, she was never really sure what exactly happened when they occurred, since Lois had never told her fully. He nodded but didn't say anything else.

"So?" she said impatiently. "Are you going to tell Lois your secret or not?"

A slow smile crept up his face, which surprised her a little. "You know, I never actually told her the first time."

"Huh?" Okay, now she was confused, Lois had told her that Clark had confessed everything to her.

Still smiling, but with hazy eyes that were now remembering, he said. "She knew all along, from the memories, she always knew and yet she said nothing. She waited for me to tell her. But Lois being Lois, eventually it had to come out that she knew and that's when I told her. But it wasn't voluntarily. I told her because I could no longer hide it from her." He frowned at the last part. "But that wasn't true. Deep down I wanted to tell her."

He took a deep breath and looked Chloe in the eye and she saw a steely resolve there. "I _want_ to tell her."

She calmly placed her hands on his shoulders, though inside she wanted to scream at him. "Then what are you waiting for?"

"Not yet, it has to be the right time. I can't just blurt it out."

"The longer you leave it, the harder it will get."

"I know, but don't worry." He kissed her cheek and walked to the door, still smiling. Then he turned back and looked at her.

"Its definitely time for Lois to meet the real Clark Kent."

* * *

"So what's this all about Ollie?" Lois asked as she stood in the kitchen of his penthouse, watching him pour two of the largest glasses of wine she had ever seen. He really was stressed out about something. He hadn't looked her in the eye since she'd gotten here and he seemed to be on edge, very twitchy.

He turned to her and held out a glass to her, still avoiding her gaze. "Dinner will be ready soon. I hope you're hungry."

"Oliver," she said, her tone forcing him to look at her. "What's going on with you? And why do you have your arm in a cast?"

He looked grimly at his wrist. "It's a long story."

She sighed in frustration and put her glass down. "Tell me I didn't just blow off dinner with Clark, which by the way, wasn't very easy to do, just so you could have a pity party."

Clark had been okay when she'd texted him telling him not to bother picking her up. But when she'd mentioned she was meeting Oliver, he'd called her right away and seemed pretty anxious for her not to go. Obviously something was going on between the two of them but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Look whatever's going on Ollie, I'm sure it can't be that bad. Just tell me."

He looked sad, she thought. "I did something terrible Lois. And I may have lost a good friend in the process."

"Okaay, what did you do?"

"Well, the thing is, you're gonna hate me when I tell you."

"I could never hate you Ollie, dislike maybe, but not hate. What is it?" Ignoring the sensation that something was terribly wrong here, Lois crossed her arms and waited patiently.

"Okay," he murmured, more to himself than her, gathering the courage. "Remember when I took you to see Serena and she stopped your memory flashes?"

"Yeah?" she replied warily.

"Well, she kinda…did something else too."

Lois narrowed her eyes. "What else?"

Oliver closed his eyes and bowed his head, looking almost ashamed. "I asked her to do something. I asked her to take away…certain memories…that you had."

Lois felt her spine stiffen as her brain registered what he was telling her. "What did you just say? Because I swear I heard you say that you asked someone to mess with my mind, to steal my memories."

"Lois…I never wanted…"

"But you wouldn't do something like that would you? You wouldn't willingly let some stranger take away something that might've been important for me to remember. Would you?" she demanded, her temper starting to rise. "Not to mention the total invasion of my privacy!"

"Lois, please just hear me out." he said, holding out his hands in a pleading gesture.

"Oh I'm listening. And it better be good."

He raked a shaky hand through his blonde hair and looked at her with such anguish that for a second she almost folded. But she couldn't, not yet. Not until she heard everything he had to say.

"I asked her to remove a certain memory, not a lot of them. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I now I'm not so sure…"

"So what you're saying is, you played with my head and now you're starting to regret it? What did she erase?"

"I can't tell you." he replied and before she could explode he carried on fast. "It's not my place to tell you Lois but you have to believe that I would never do anything to hurt you."

"What. Did. She. Erase?" she said slowly.

"Something that I thought you would be safer off not knowing. And now I see that it wasn't my responsibility to do that."

Lois shook her head, angry, astounded and confused all at once. "What the hell are you talking about?" He sank down into a chair and held his wrist gingerly.

Then it dawned on her. "This is about Clark isn't it? You erased something about Clark! What happened Ollie, tried to erase my feelings for him but it didn't work so you moved onto plan b?" She was yelling now, and she didn't care. Her anger was winning out.

"I just wanted to protect you Lois. I owed you that much. You can't understand and I know how much you must hate me right now,"

"I'm coming pretty damn close, how could you Oliver?"

"I'm so sorry Lois."

Angrily she swiped at the tears now building in her eyes. Because as mad as she was, she was hurt too. "So why tell me now? Huh? Why let it happen and then decide to tell me now? Guilty conscience getting too much for you?"

He shot out of his chair and grabbed her shoulders, his expression pleading. "Lois please, I never wanted to hurt you, that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I genuinely thought I was doing the right thing."

"How can you say what the right thing is for me? I take care of myself, I make my own decisions." Without thinking, Lois pulled away from him and threw her arm back, punching him right in the jaw. He landed flat on his back on the floor with a thud, his breath leaving him with a whoosh.

"I trusted you Ollie. This is worse than anything else you could've done to me. We're talking about my memories here, my mind. My private thoughts. I thought you were supposed to be my friend. Was that what you meant when you said you may have lost one? Or was that about Clark?"

"Lois…" he groaned, getting back to his feet.

"Why did you do it?"

"I don't know," he said with a cough and she saw, with a little satisfaction, that she had cut his bottom lip.

"Tell me why!"

"Because I thought I was still in love with you!" he yelled back, stunning her for a moment.

"What?"

He sighed, obviously he hadn't meant that little snippet to slip out. "I was jealous alright? There I said it. I was jealous that Clark had you and I didn't. My life has spiralled so far out of control that I don't even know who I am anymore. I thought I still loved you, that I still wanted you and I wanted a chance to make things right again."

All at once, a lot of little things made a lot of sense. "The hospital, after I was shot. The hostility towards Clark, the flowers and spending time with me. You were still in love with me?"

"I thought I was. But I realise now that I was still in love with the idea of you. That I was holding too tightly onto a past that didn't exist for me anymore. I had my chance with you and I blew it." He wiped his mouth and stood up straight. "Lois, I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, so am I." She walked back through the living room, over to the elevator. He raced out behind her and grabbed her arm.

"Lois, don't leave like this."

"Let go of me Oliver. I can't even look at you right now, you erased part of my memories, and that is about as low as you can get. I need to not be around you right now or I'll do something I'm going to regret."

She got into the elevator and refused to look at him as she slammed the door down. It was only then that she allowed the tears free reign to run down her cheeks.

The night air hit her face, drying her tears as she stepped onto the street and headed for the only place she wanted to be right now. _Clark._

Oliver stood staring at the elevator door long after it had closed, his mind numb. Well, he'd done it. She would probably never speak to him again and he wouldn't blame her one bit if she didn't.

But it was out there now, the truth. He'd done the right thing, confessing. It killed him that he might've lost both Lois and Clark's friendships for good, but he'd had to do it, he'd had to make things right.


	37. Chapter 37

**_Chapter Thirty Seven  
_**

Clark was pacing his living room, his cell phone pressed tightly to his ear as he listened to Lois' voicemail kick for the fifth time in a row. Why wasn't she answering?

He was on edge, he didn't know where she was and if she was okay. He'd been more than a little reluctant to let her go to Oliver's place when she'd called him earlier but he could hardly tell her why if he wanted to keep what had happened to himself.

As much as he wanted to tell Lois his secret, he didn't want her to know that Oliver had basically messed with her mind. That would only upset her and that was the last thing he wanted. But knowing what Oliver had done last time he was with her, Clark was anxious, expecting something else to go wrong.

He'd told her not to go, that he wanted to spend the evening with her, but she'd responded by telling him that clearly something was wrong with Ollie. He seemed anxious and whatever he wanted to tell her was obviously urgent. Clark eventually had relented, she was after all, still his friend. Even though Oliver didn't deserve her friendship, or his.

But it left him more determined to tell her the truth even though he had no idea how to even broach the subject. He couldn't exactly walk up to her and say 'Guess what, I'm the Red-Blue-Blur' could he? He needed an opening of some sort.

He stopped in the middle of the living room as his vision started to blur, replaced with a different image. A dark alley, a camera flashing, her lips against his. He was dressed as the Green Arrow and he had Lois in his arms, and he was kissing her.

He smiled to himself as he remembered the feel of her mouth, her lips so warm and soft. That had been their first kiss, he realised. He heard Serena's voice in his head, almost a whisper. _'Trust your instincts_' she said.

His instincts were telling him one thing right now. He wanted Lois back, the way he'd had her in his bed a few nights ago. No barriers, no secrets between them. Just love.

He was about to dial her number again when he heard someone in trouble and as much as he wanted to find Lois, he had a job to do. No, not a job, a responsibility. Lois would have to wait for a little while. He quickly changed into his red and blue and sped out the door.

* * *

Lois paid for her coffee and left the café. She'd needed a few minutes to herself before she returned to the farm. To try and make sense of what Oliver had told her.

He'd erased some of her memories.

She couldn't believe he would ever do something like that to her of all people, but he had. And it hurt. But more than that, it confused her so badly. Because she had no idea what it was that she'd forgotten.

Now she knew that there was something, and it had to be something pretty big for Oliver to do what he'd done, she didn't know how to get Clark to tell her. Should she just ask him? Or wait and see if it came out on its own. It was a little hard to grasp that Smallville would even have a secret from her.

She'd made it back to The Daily Planet's parking lot before she realised that she didn't have her car with her. Damn, Clark was supposed to pick her up earlier. Now what?

She took out her cell phone to call him when she heard two voices behind her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

"Hey there pretty lady. You shouldn't be out here on your own you know," One sneered at her while the other circled her like she was prey. Obviously they'd never met an army brat before and she silently thanked her dad for forcing her to take all those combat lessons when she was a kid.

"Oh I think I can handle it." she replied, with a little more confidence than she was feeling. She might be able to take care of herself but she wasn't stupid. She was outnumbered and frankly, overpowered. These two were big.

The one who was circling her stopped in front of her and smiled sweetly. "Well just in case, how about we walk you home. The city's a dangerous place at night and you shouldn't be out alone."

Lois could've almost believed that voice, so sweet and innocent, but those eyes. They were so cold and full of lust.

"Like I said, I think I can handle it." She started walking, if for no other reason than to get away from them, and wasn't surprised when she felt one of them grab her arm.

She didn't give him a chance to speak, she spun around and punched him straight in the jaw and while he was disoriented, she dropped low and swung her foot out, knocking his out from under him. He landed on his back, the air escaping his lungs as his buddy rushed forward to grab her from behind.

"That's not very nice _legs_, we were only offering to help." he drawled in her ear, squeezing the breath out of her with his strong arms.

She kicked and struggled and only managed to bruise his legs with her heels but his grip didn't loosen and as the other one got up and they started dragging her into a nearby alley, she was running out of options.

"Get your hands off me!" she yelled.

"Aw you didn't say please." He laughed and dropped her to the ground, pushing her a little so that she fell all the way. The concrete was cold and wet as her cheek met with it and she knew she was going to have a nice bruise there tomorrow.

Then before she could even say anything else, there was a huge blast of wind and both guys disappeared right before her very eyes.

"What the…?" She stood up, dazed and looked around. They were gone. It had to have been the Blur, he'd saved her. She found herself smiling despite the pain in her cheek and the shaking in her hands.

"Miss Lane." His voice caught her off guard and she jumped as she turned around to face him. He was standing in the shadows, his face hidden from view.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, frowning. His voice was very familiar, deep, gruff, but…she felt like she'd heard it before..

Clark stood in the shadows, willing his heart to slow down a little. When he'd heard her, he'd been scared, then when he'd seen her…his anger had reached a level he hadn't known it could.

Someone was trying to hurt her, and probably would have if he hadn't turned up. He knew Lois could take care of herself, but sometimes even she found herself in a situation she couldn't fight her way out of.

Today it had been two thugs with very bad intentions, tomorrow it could be someone trying to find out his true identity. He wouldn't be able to live with it if she got hurt because of that. He couldn't take that risk, could he?

He stayed silent, trying to sort his thoughts out, but Lois was edging closer.

"You saved me, I want to thank you."

She held out her hand, meaning to shake his, and on impulse he took it.

As soon as he made contact with her, another vision popped into his head. The Phantom Zone. Lois so afraid, yet so brave. She'd been cast into a world that she should never even know existed, and she hadn't lost her head once. He'd been so proud of her that day. As well as scared out of his mind.

Then the scene shifted and he found himself staring at his cousin, in the barn.

_"All I ever wanted was to keep Lois away from my secret_." He heard himself say. "_But yesterday that nearly got her killed."_

"You want your cousin's two cents? Lois can handle it, she's tough…strong. You wouldn't have let her get so close if you didn't think so too."

There was a bright flash of light and suddenly, Clark began to see things with crystal clear clarity.

Lois had been in more danger not knowing his secret back then. Maybe if she knew about him now, she wouldn't go looking for trouble. If he kept lying to her, she would only go out and put herself in danger by looking for the Blur. If she knew the truth, he could protect her better.

But above all that, was the one reason he knew he had to tell her. She was _the one. _His love, his life, his...soul mate. He wasn't sure how he knew that, he just…knew.

Without another thought, he grabbed her hand tighter and pulled her into the shadows with him. He heard her quick, shocked intake of breath before lowering his head and capturing her mouth in a sweet, tender kiss.

Her hands froze on his chest, as if deciding whether or not to push him away but eventually they relaxed and he felt her fingers wind into his hair. The way she always did when he kissed her.

And then suddenly…she was kissing him back. He wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or not, but at that moment, he couldn't care. He deepened the kiss, tilting his head, wrapping his arms all the way around her. This was what he wanted.

Cupping her face between both hands, he slowly pulled back and waited.

She took a deep breath, ran her tongue over her lips and slowly, opened her eyes.  
Even in the shadows, the eyes that stared back at her were so clear to see. And very, very familiar.

Her brain was trying frantically to catch up with what just happened but it was stuck somewhere between shock and recognition.

Slowly she reached up and placed both hands on his face, just as his was on hers. Her fingertips traced his features, his eyes, his lips, and as his breath started to speed up, she saw the vulnerability in that gaze.

A slow smile crept up her face, and the implications of what had just happened, hit her all at once.

"Oh God…Smallville!"


	38. Chapter 38

_**Chapter Thirty Eight**_

"Clark…" Lois whispered, her hands still absently stroking his face. Clark was positive she wasn't even aware she was doing it. She seemed so lost in thought, no doubt trying to make sense of this whole situation. "My Clark…"

Her words made his heart beat just that little bit faster, he'd never heard her say anything like that before, much less about him. He liked the idea of him being Lois' and no one else's.

Her hands stilled, dropping to his chest to rest there as she stared into his eyes. And then, as if for clarification, she asked. "My Clark…is the Red-Blue-Blur?"

For a brief moment, Clark wondered if maybe she wouldn't react the way he'd known her to in the past. It scared him that maybe this time around, she would look at him differently, like he was…an alien. She hadn't had as much time to get used to the Blur as she'd had before and he wondered if that could change things.

"Lois…" Was that his voice? It sounded so…strange. Rough and dark. He cleared his throat. "Are you okay?"

"I uh… I'm not sure." she replied quietly and then suddenly, her knees buckled and he caught her as she sagged against him.

She was in shock, he realised. Both from the attack and from what he'd just revealed. He cursed himself, thinking that he should've waited to tell her, she'd been through enough for one evening and he didn't even know what had happened with Oliver.

Carefully, he scooped her up into his arms and took off at a slower pace than he usually ran at.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice quiet against the wind. He wrapped one half of his red jacket around her and cradled her against his chest.

"We're going home Lois."

"Good. I think we need to talk."

He didn't look down at her, too fearful of what he might see in her eyes. So he looked straight ahead and prayed that she would be as accepting of him the second time. But unlike last time, he was going to tell her everything, anything she wanted to know, because she deserved nothing less than the truth from him and …simply because he wanted to.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Clark asked as he set a very pale Lois down on the sofa back at the farm. He quickly ran into the kitchen and got her a glass of water, then sat himself on the coffee table in front of her. "Lois, please say something."

"Where did you take those two guys?"

"Metropolis PD. They won't be hurting anyone else anytime soon." Clark replied, his tone darkening at the thought of them putting their hands on Lois. "Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." Though she flinched when he touched her bruised cheek. She took his hand and held it in hers then shook her head as if to clear it and then leaned forward slightly. "Sorry Clark, I'm just trying to piece this all together. How did I not notice you had a secret before?"

"I'd gotten pretty good at hiding it. I've had a lot of practice." he said, grimly. It had never been his favourite thing to do, lying to those he cared about. But it had been necessary.

"So why tell me now?"

"Because…I love you and you deserve to know the truth."

She nodded, then leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "So then…start at the beginning."

* * *

"Uh-oh. I know that look. What did you do this time?" Chloe asked, glancing up as Oliver walked into Watchtower, looking defeated.

"I told her."

Chloe frowned and shook her head. "I'm sorry, told who, what?"

"Lois. I told her the truth." Chloe's head shot up and she stared at him. He was sporting a pretty impressive red mark to his cheek that would, by tomorrow, become a black eye.

"What do you mean by truth?" she asked, warily. He wouldn't tell her about Clark, would he? Not after going to so much trouble to erase that knowledge.

"I told her what I'd done to her."

"Ah, well I guess that explains this." she said, pointing to his cheek.

He rubbed it tenderly and grimaced. "Yeah, she took it well."

Chloe couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up to the surface. Oliver threw her an irritated glare and sat down on the sofa. "I'm glad my pain amuses you Chloe."

"Sorry Ollie but you have to admit that you had this coming. You're just lucky that it came from Lois and not Clark."

"I'm not so sure, Clark knows with his powers, he has to at least hold himself back a little but Lois…" He let out a soft whistle. "She really throws her whole body into a punch."

Chloe, picturing the image of Lois hitting Oliver, felt the laughter bubble up again but she quickly pushed it back and sat down next to him.

"So how did she take it? I mean aside from rearranging your pretty face."

Oliver shook his head, keeping his eyes downcast. "She was so hurt Chloe. I never wanted to do that to her. Not Lois."

"What did you expect would happen when you planned to tell her? Speaking of which, why did you decide to come clean? Why now, when the damage has already been done." She wondered why he'd come here again so late. But maybe he just needed someone to talk to.

"Because I…" He trailed off, standing up to go and make himself a coffee. He switched the pot on and turned to face her, leaning back against the counter. In a quiet voice he said. "Because I'm so ashamed of myself Chloe. I didn't tell her so that she could give me her forgiveness because I know I'm never going to get that and I probably don't deserve it either but…I had to tell her."

"And you didn't mention what it was that you had erased?"

"No, I wouldn't do that to Clark."

She snorted. "Not to be callous but you already betrayed Clark."

"I know that." he said, annoyed. "But I'm trying to make it right."

"I'm not sure you can Ollie," she said softly and for the first time, she felt bad about the fact that Oliver was now truly alone. She knew it was his fault, but he'd already lost his parents, and now he'd lost two important friendships too. She wanted badly to be loyal to her cousin and tell Oliver to get lost, but she just couldn't. She couldn't turn her back on him that easily.

* * *

Lois sat wide eyed as Clark explained once again who he really was and where he came from. She hadn't said a word so far, she just let him talk but now it was starting to worry him. Lois Lane was never lost for words. Even the first time he'd told her, she'd been very vocal.

_But that was different_, he told himself. _She knew about you then, about the Blur, she'd known and said nothing._ This time, he had to explain every little detail and he was starting to feel like a broken record.

"Wait," she said holding up a hand. "So let me get this straight. You are from a planet called…Kryton?"

Her confused look was so adorable that he had to smile a little. "Krypton." he corrected gently.

"Right Krypton, that's what I said. And you have powers."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Well what are they?" she asked and for the first time he saw a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Do you want the full list?"

Her eyes widened again. "There's that many?"

"Quite a few. Okay let's see. Well I have super strength, I could lift this house with one hand if I wanted to. I'm pretty much invulnerable to everything except Kryptonite. They're radioactive pieces of my home planet, they're toxic to me." He added when she raised her eyebrows in question.

"They can kill you?" she asked, looking slightly worried and that warmed his heart.

"Yes but only if I'm exposed for a long time. Kind of like I'm allergic. But the pain I get around the meteor rocks is…not fun, believe me."

She smiled, but the worried look stayed in her eyes. "I'll have to remember that the next time you annoy me."

He chuckled and moved on. "I have x-ray vision, meaning I can see through solid objects, well except for lead. Uh, heat vision…"

"Heat vision? What's that?"

"Basically, I can shoot fire from my eyes." He'd almost expected her to cover her chest again when he mentioned his x-ray vision, like she did last time, but she didn't. He was starting to realise that nothing about this was anything like the last time.

"I can run faster than the speed of sound and I have super hearing. Oh yeah, and super breath too. Remember that barn door that almost hit you a few years ago?" She nodded, silently. "Well that was me. I uh sneezed and blew the door right off its hinges and halfway across the county."

"Okaay." She looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, he was willing to bet her head was swimming right now, trying to process all of this information.

He shrugged and put his elbows on his knees, leaning forward towards her. "I think that's about it."

She made a scoffing sound but he could see the look of sheer astonishment on her face. "Is that all?" she asked. "Geez Clark, I could do all that in my sleep."

Humour, he realised, was her defence mechanism, her way of not allowing the truth to sink in just yet. She needed time, he understood that. And he was willing to give her that time, but he needed her to know everything first.

He cleared his throat and grabbed both of her hands. "Lois, are you okay with all this? It's a lot to take in all at once."

"Oh yeah, no I'm fine. Totally fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, I mean I know you're strong but this is a lot for anyone to take in."

"Well I think I can handle it. I just never would've put you and Blur together, never saw that one coming at all. And I'm not just anyone Clark." she replied, eyeing him carefully. "And apparently, neither are you."

Clark frowned. "Lois, I'm still the same person." Last time she'd said that to him, that he would always be her Smallville, and he needed to hear that again. He needed to know she didn't see him differently.

"But you're not Clark, you're not the same person anymore."

His heart sunk right before her face lit up with a smile. "You're so much more now. You…you save people. You have all these powers and you could do pretty much anything you want, have anything you want and yet you choose to use those powers to help people. You're…incredible."

Clark smiled and moved to sit on the sofa next to her, feeling the need to hold her in his arms. He pulled her to him and kissed her softly. "Thank you."

But through his relief, came a nagging thought that he didn't want her to see him like that. He didn't want her to put him on a pedestal the way Chloe had. Lois had always been the one person who saw him for who he truly was, he didn't want that to change.

"What for, telling the truth?" she asked, then her face fell serious. "Truth." she muttered to herself, as if remembering something. "Clark, I need to ask you something and I want you to answer me honestly. Did I know about this before? About you?"

He shifted in his seat, suddenly unsure of whether or not to tell her. But her eyes were piercing as she stared at him and he knew he had to be honest. "Yes Lois, you did."

She was quiet for a few moments, taking that in. "Oliver. He did this,"

"How do you know that?"

"Because he told me earlier." So that was why Oliver had seemed so desperate to see her. He'd confessed what he'd done. Clark wondered what Oliver's angle was this time.

"He told me that he'd had some of my memories erased. Right before I smacked him." She closed her eyes and shook her head, standing up to put some distance between them. She leaned her hands on the fireplace and put her head on her arm.

"He made me forget about you Clark." The sad tone of her voice had him out of his seat and across the living room in a flash. He'd expected a little resistance as he tried to hug her but she surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "How could he do that to me?"

"He was trying to keep you safe. People have been hurt in the past by knowing about me Lois. Oliver thought you'd be safer…"

"Don't!" she said angrily, rearing her head back. "Don't you dare defend him to me."

"I'm not, believe me I'm not. I'm just as angry as you are. Look, his methods were completely wrong, so wrong, but I understand his intentions. You're a lot to lose Lois, I couldn't bear it if anything ever happened to you. Much less because of me."

She took a step back from him and two things suddenly occurred to him. She hadn't called him Smallville since she'd found out and she hadn't said she loved him. He'd told her twice now and she hadn't said it back once. He knew that it was probably due to shock but he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

"How long ago did I find out?"

"Two days ago."

"And you explained everything?"

He nodded and smiled, but it felt tight on his face. "Yeah, I'd even planned to take you to my Fortress."

She folded her arms, defensively, he thought. "What's a Fortress?"

"It's a piece of my home planet right here on Earth. It's beautiful Lois, you'd love it there. And who knows, maybe you could meet Jor-El."

"Jor-El?"

"My birth father." Clark grimaced a little as he thought of his real father. "He had some rather big plans for my future, my 'destiny' as he called it. But I think we've reached an understanding now."

Her eyes flickered and something in her expression changed, though for the better of worse, Clark wasn't sure.

"So why didn't you tell me again, once you knew Oliver had taken those memories away? Were you having second thoughts about telling me at all?" she asked softly.

"No, I wanted to tell you I just wanted to wait for the right time."

"But the first time, you didn't want to tell me did you?" Her eyes weren't accusing as she looked at him, they were just…sad.

Slowly, he shook his head. "I'm sorry. But please understand it wasn't because I didn't trust you Lois. I just…"

"Didn't want me to get hurt. It's okay, I get that, I do." She was closing herself off, he realised and didn't know what to do to stop it.

"Lois…" He reached out to her but she backed away even further.

"I need some time alone Clark, I promise I'm okay, but I need a few minutes, please." She headed for the stairs, slamming her bedroom door shut, leaving Clark standing there wondering what to do next. This was what he'd been afraid of.


	39. Chapter 39

_**Chapter Thirty Nine**_

Lois parked her car in the Daily Planet parking lot and got out, wrapping her jacket tightly around her against the early morning chill. She was exhausted, having spent the night tossing and turning, trying to get her brain to switch off. But the endless questions and emotions just wouldn't shut off.

She felt bad for leaving Clark standing there the night before. It had been a cowardly move running away from him but she'd needed time to get her head around everything that she'd learned.

She walked around the building and stopped at the front revolving doors, just staring up at the sign above it. But she couldn't bring herself to go in just yet. She needed coffee. So she started off in the direction of the nearest café.

She'd left the house earlier than she normally did for work but Clark hadn't been there anyway. She didn't know where he was, though she guessed he was out doing his Blur duties. A strange sense of pride filled her at that knowledge. That he was out there somewhere, protecting someone.

"Lois?" The voice she didn't want to hear spoke up behind her and she turned around.

"Are you stalking me or something?"

"No, I just saw you from across the street."

"What do you want?" she asked, not politely

Oliver shifted from one foot to the other, looking nervous and…well, awful, she had to admit. He looked like she felt, shattered, exhausted, sad. She wondered if he'd gotten any sleep in the last few days then quickly shoved the thought aside. She didn't care. In fact, right now she wanted to give him another black eye to match the one she'd already given him.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

"I have nothing to say and you have nothing that I want to hear right now."

She started walking again, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Please Lois, just give me five minutes to explain."

She shrugged off his hand and glared at him. "And why would I do that?

"Because as much as you may hate me right now, I need to explain something to you. You can hate me all you want after and I honestly wouldn't blame you if you did. I did something bad and I deserve it, but please…just hear me out."

She tightened her arms around herself, staring at him and for a brief moment, she saw something in his eyes, something that made her anger dissipate a little.

She shook her head and sighed. "I just know I'm going to regret this but…" She looked up at him. "Five minutes, that's it."

She didn't wait for his reply, she marched across the street and into the nearest café. She chose a quiet little table in the back, just in case things got a little…loud between them. The last thing she wanted was a scene.

After he sat down and they placed their orders, Lois linked her hands together on the table and waited. He stared down at his hands, as if he was trying to think of a place to start.

"How old were you when your mom died Lois?" The question caught her off guard, so much so that she answered before she even knew her mouth had opened.

"I was six, but you know that already."

"I was five when I lost my parents. I remember the day I found out that they'd died. I didn't cry. I just sat there, asking who would take care of me now."

"Oliver…" Lois began, feeling a little uncomfortable, she didn't want to feel sorry for him at the moment. She was still too angry. But he was making it difficult, with those eyes. Eyes that said more than words could. And the image of a five year old little boy, finding out that his mom and dad were never coming home to him again, was too much to bear right now.

"When I found out that they were murdered, I vowed to find out the identity of their killer. But he covered his tracks well."

"I'm really sorry about all that Oliver, I am. But what does that have to do with what you did to me?"

He paused as the waitress delivered their coffees, then carried on when she'd left. But he didn't look at her, he just kept staring at his cup.

"When I met Clark, he was just this guy who was annoyingly correct. He had an idea of what was right and what was wrong and he wouldn't be swayed."

"That's Clark. He's strong that way."

"Yeah but at the time, it was something I wasn't used to. And we sort of had something in common,"

"Yeah, I know." she replied darkly and then his eyes flew up to hers.

"You do?"

"Mm-hmm. He told me everything last night. But that's not why we're here."

He shook his head in amazement and then cleared his throat. "Well, the thing is, in my whole life, I'd never met someone like Clark. With the kind of values he was raised with. The strength of character he has. I often found myself wondering if my parents had still been alive, would I have been raised with similar values that he has." He took a quick sip of his coffee and grimaced at the heat of it. "I was dating you then at that time."

"Yeah I remember, Oliver get to the point already." she said impatiently.

"He told me that I had to tell you the truth about me. That I couldn't keep lying to you because I would only end up hurting you in the end."

"He did?" She couldn't explain why, but hearing that Clark had been looking out for her back then was warming to hear.

"Yeah, and he'd been right. I didn't tell you and I went to great lengths to keep you from finding out. And I hurt you. After that I swore that I would never let that happen again."

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "And then I found out that Lionel Luthor had killed my parents. And also, that Clark knew about it. I'll admit that I was angry and upset that Clark had kept something like that from me…"

"Why would he do that?"

"Because Lionel was already dead, and he thought that I would go after the only surviving Luthor, who I already hated enough, and take my revenge out on him."

"And would you?"

"I don't know. I'd like to say no but a part of me knows that's not true."

"Surely you had to know that he only did it to protect you." Lois said, her tone strong with conviction because she knew that Clark would only have kept that a secret because he'd been worried about what Oliver would do with the information.

And it wouldn't be because Clark was worried about Lex. It would've been because Clark wouldn't want Oliver to live with the consequences of what he would no doubt do.

"See that's the thing Lois, we do things…stupid things, to protect the people we care about…"

"Oh no, you're not comparing that to what you did! You played with my mind Oliver. Did it ever occur to you that if something went wrong I could've lost a lot more than what you took from me?"

"I'm not comparing it, I'm just saying that sometimes we do and say crazy things to protect the people we love. And I love you Lois," He raised a hand before she could interrupt. "Not like that, not any more. But I'll always love you as a friend. And I never want to see you get hurt. So I did what I did, to protect you because I feared that you knowing Clark's secret could only get you hurt."

"That wasn't your call to make Oliver." she replied, but her anger was slowly draining away as she looked at him. He did seem to be truly sorry for what he'd done and she supposed, if she really thought about it, she could see his logic. But still, that didn't give him the right…

"I know. But like I said before, I was jealous. Clark had you and you clearly feel more for him than you ever did for me."

"How can you even know that Oliver? We haven't even been dating a week yet."

"Because I saw it the first night you introduced me to him. There was something there, there always had been."

"I…" She trailed off because she didn't quite know how to respond.

"Do you love him?" he asked in a quiet voice.

It was a simple question yet she felt he had no right to ask it. But it was a question that was easy to answer. "Yes. I do."

He smiled sadly. "Then he's very lucky. Look Lois, I screwed up. I know that. I should never have done what I did. I just thought that maybe you wouldn't end up dead because of someone trying to find out his secret. As much as you love him, you are now an easy target for any enemy of his."

"Don't you get it?" She snorted. "Of course not, you kept your own secret long enough. But I will always get into a certain amount of trouble, that's my job. But I would've been in just as much danger not knowing. But the thing that really hurt the most, is the fact that not only did you violate my mind, you took something important from me. Knowing about Clark isn't just about knowing where he disappears to or what he can do with his powers. It's about knowing all of him, being with him completely. I couldn't have that if I only knew one half of him. And what about him? You took away his chance to be with someone wholly, completely."

Oliver hung his head and when he looked up, he avoided her eyes but she was shocked to see tears there.

"I'm so sorry Lois. I know you'll never be able to forgive me and I don't want forgiveness because this was my doing. But can you at least understand why I did it? You are too important to lose. For both me and Clark. It would kill him if he lost you, you have to know that."

Lois frowned as her hand seemed to take on a life of its own and reach across the table to cover his. "No one is losing me. And…I'm not sure if I have it in me to forgive you for this. You broke my trust Ollie, that can't just be replaced by an 'I'm sorry' and 'I did it to protect you' rant."

She cursed herself as she felt her own eyes start to water.

"I know. But I wanted you to hear this from me, the real reason. I was stupid and selfish and I bitterly regret it, but its done and I can't take it back."

"No, you can't."

There was a calm silence for a few minutes as neither of them knew what to say next. But Oliver broke it by standing up and leaning over to her to place a light kiss on her cheek. She didn't pull away.

"I wanted you to know that I'm seeing someone." he said as he took out some money.

"What?" Lois was shocked. How could he be seeing someone so soon after telling her he'd thought he was in love with her and after what he'd done?

"It's not what you think." he replied, his lips curving slightly. "I'm seeing a therapist tomorrow. I figure I have a few issues to work through. I need to start taking control of my life now."

"Oh, well okay then. And that's great, really. I hope it works out for you."

Damn, why did that feel like a goodbye of the eternal kind, she wondered. And for some unknown reason, she knew that she didn't want to lose Oliver completely. Sure, he was an ass, and he'd done some unspeakable things, but did that mean she never wanted to see him again? Ever? She wasn't sure.

Oliver seemed to reach the same conclusion, because he stood hovering, unwilling to leave just yet. "Lois…do you think that maybe someday…you could I don't know, maybe forgive me?"

Those eyes of his were her undoing. She hated when he did that. Though he had nothing on Clark when it came to puppy dog eyes. That man could melt you into a puddle with one look.

She stood up and looked straight into his eyes. "I honestly don't know. And that's the best I can do for now. Did you ever tell Clark any of this?"

Oliver smiled wryly and held up his cast. "No, the last time we talked I kinda let my emotions get in the way."

"Well, you should."

He nodded, then frowned. "Hold on, if he told you the truth about him last night, why aren't you with him? I would've thought it would be a long conversation."

At that Lois went quiet. "It's complicated Oliver." Roughly translated to, 'Leave it alone'.

"Okay, but can I just say one thing?"

"Can I stop you?" she said, irritated. She really didn't want to discuss anything to do with Clark with him right now. Her anger may have waned a little, but she still didn't trust him.

"Listen to your heart Lois, not your mind." He started to walk away, but paused as he got to the door. "And try not to over think anything when it comes to your relationship with him."

He wiggled his eyebrows as if she knew exactly what he was getting at. And she did. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, picturing the look on Clark's face as she bolted away from him last night. Hurt, confused.

Abruptly, she grabbed her purse and ran out of the café, straight back to her car and broke almost every speed limit back to Smallville.

* * *

He was there, sitting in the living room. She watched him through the window for a minute, he looked so…sad. She hated that she was the cause of it. She opened the door and walked in, pausing in the doorway as he stood up.

"Hi," he said, staying where he was.

"Hey."

"Are you okay? You weren't here when I got back and…I was worried." He moved towards her, slowly, as if he was afraid of scaring her away.

"I went for a drive, I needed to get away from…"

"Me." he said, a frown creasing his forehead.

She walked up to him. "No not from you. I just needed some space. Listen, I'm sorry that I walked away from you last night."

"No Lois you don't have to apologise. I understand. You've had a rough couple of days, you were still in shock, I shouldn't have told you last night."

She looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. "Do you regret telling me?"

He shook his head. "No, not one bit. I wanted you to know who I really am. I still do. And believe it or not, I _can_ understand why you walked away."

"You can?"

"Yeah, it was a lot to take in. Especially after what Oliver told you. It's not easy finding out that the person you thought you knew, had lied to you for years and then you find out he's an alien."

He tried to make light of it by chuckling, but it came out rough and pained and Lois couldn't stand it. She grabbed his face in both hands, forcing eye contact.

"That wasn't why I needed space Clark. I'm sorry if you thought that was why I left. It was never about what you told me, it wasn't you. I totally get all that. I know why you kept it a secret for so long. Why wouldn't you? And I'm so grateful that you finally decided to share it with me...willingly. But you have to know, you're still the same to me. You're still the man I fell in love with."

His hands came up to her waist, resting on her hips. His eyes filled with hope and that just made her feel worse.

"Then why?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. _Come on Lois, jump_. "It was because of me. You have a destiny Clark, you said so yourself. You're what this city needs right now. And I…I would only make things worse."

"Lois what are you talking about?"

She closed her eyes and sighed, then stepped out of his embrace and walked over to the other side of the kitchen. Her eyes met his, and it took every ounce of strength to stay away from him as she spoke.

"Because I..._I'm_ not good enough for _you_ Clark".


	40. Chapter 40

_**Chapter Forty**_

Clark shook his head, too shocked to speak for a moment, certain he hadn't heard right. Because for the life of him he couldn't figure out why Lois would think something so absurd.

"Lois…what the hell are you talking about?"

She leaned her hands on the counter behind her, avoiding his eyes in a way that he didn't like. She was distancing herself again, pulling away from him and he had to stop it. But he was afraid that if he made a move right now, she would bolt. So he stayed where he was and waited.

"You have a higher calling, that's pretty clear Clark." Again with the 'Clark'. Why was she being so formal all of a sudden?

"Lois…"

"No! I get it, I really do. And it doesn't matter what I think or feel. You mean too much to the city, to the world, to be distracted by someone like me."

"Someone like you? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Someone who's known for getting herself into scrapes, someone who's known to be a big mouth. If you're with me, you would probably spend most of your time worrying about me and pulling me out of sticky situations and that's just not right. You need to be able to focus on the rest of the world…"

"Lois, I don't know where you're getting these ideas from but you couldn't be more wrong." She looked up at him then and his heart almost stopped, her eyes were so distant and it scared him. He moved forward a little, unable to stand still any longer.

She tilted her head and smiled sadly at him. "Deep down I guess I've always known you were a hero. I may not have said it much when we were friends but I respected you, you always had such faith in people and you became my best friend."

She let out a soft snort. "I guess my only real friend. We've been through a lot together haven't we? And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. It kinda snuck up on me, I never expected it, but it happened anyway. I mean Clark Kent and Lois Lane, who knew?" She chuckled dryly.

"I did." he said without hesitation. Edging a little closer each time he spoke.

"But I don't think that this…with us…can happen."

"Lois, you're not making any sense. I love you, doesn't that count for anything?"

She looked at him, crestfallen. "Of course it does Clark. You have no idea how much it hurts to say this-"

He cut her off. "Then don't. Please Lois, just tell me why you think you're not good enough. Because I can't get my head around that." And he really couldn't. How could someone who seemed so confident, have such a low opinion of herself? It baffled him.

She didn't answer him, she just turned and walked into the living room. As he followed, she stood near the fireplace, staring out of the window, her back to him. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned around and faced him, putting one hand on his cheek.

"You know I'm right Clark."

"No I don't and this is ridiculous…" He stopped suddenly as screams filled his ears.

_No, not now,_ he thought. But it wasn't something he could ignore. There was a fire, people trapped inside a burning building, screaming for help. He tuned in his hearing a little better, the fire-fighters couldn't get in. The whole place was about to collapse. He squeezed his eyes shut, the decision tearing at him but knowing that he couldn't ignore it.

"Lois, I have to go."

"What?" she said, looking mildly shocked, as if she hadn't expected him to be taking off during a conversation this important. He was right there with her, he hated it. He didn't want to leave right now, scared that when he got back, she wouldn't be willing to talk about this.

"People are in trouble, I need to help them. But please, stay here." When she didn't reply, he grabbed her shoulders urgently. "Please Lois, whatever this is, we can figure it out. Just wait till I come back."

She nodded, but an expression appeared, one that said that this scenario was only proving her point and he didn't like it.

"Okay, I'll wait. Be careful Clark." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek and that said more than her words had, and it had Clark's gut clenching in fear.

Was he losing her?

He couldn't accept that, not when they'd only just started. But he had no time to think about it right now, he was needed. With one last look at Lois, he turned and sped out the door.

* * *

Lois watched him go, feeling the breeze his departure created and only when she was sure that he was gone did she collapse onto the sofa, tears streaking down her face. She knew what she'd said to Clark was true, so why did it hurt so much? Why was it so hard to accept that he wanted to be with her?

_You know why, he could have any woman on this planet. What makes you so special?_

Cursing, she stood and grabbed her jacket, heading for the door. Pausing as she opened it, she knew she couldn't take off again. It had been bad enough the first time, and she'd promised that she'd wait for him. But there were too many memories on that couch, she just couldn't sit there. So she closed the door behind her and walked over to the barn, needing a little fresh air.

"Hey Shelby," she said, greeting the golden haired dog as she climbed the stairs to the loft. He raised his head to look at her, but didn't move from his comfortable position on the sofa. She plonked herself down next to him and scratched behind his ears, knowing that he loved that.

She let out a huge sigh. "You don't have these sorts of problems do you boy? Ugh! What am I going to do. I don't want to hurt him. But I can't…"

Shelby tilted his head and as his dark brown eyes watched her, she had a crazy thought that he'd understood what she'd said. Which only reaffirmed that she was not thinking straight right now.

After a few minutes of petting him, Lois felt the familiar sneezes begin to build so she stood and walked over to Clark's desk, smiling fondly at his collection of items on it.

She ran an idle finger over the surface, taking in the photos of his family and friends, Chloe, someone named Pete, and then…her. She frowned as she picked it up. Strange, she couldn't remember Clark taking this. Though she did recognise where she was in the picture.

She was in front of the barn with Shelby at her heels. It was a fairly early photo, since her hair was still blonde and it had been a rare occasion. She was actually smiling down at Shelby, crouched in front of him. She remembered that Chloe had taken the photo, so how come it had ended up on Clark's desk?

"I always wondered where that went." Chloe's voice said behind her, startling her so much she almost dropped the frame. "I guess now I know."

"Hey Chlo, what are you doing here?" she asked as she placed the frame back on the desk.

"I just came to see how you're doing, we don't see each other as often as we used to now that you live here."

"That's true. So is everything okay with you and Jimmy?" Lois asked, perching herself on the desk as Chloe settled in next to Shelby.

"Everything's great." she replied. "How about you? How's things with Clark?"

Lois felt her smile fade, even though she tried hard to keep it in place. But she couldn't lie to her cousin. Although she wasn't sure just how much Chloe knew about Clark's situation, but she at least had to know something. "Just peachy cuz,"

"You're a terrible liar Lois."

"What do you mean?" Lois inwardly rolled her eyes, she wasn't even convincing herself let alone Chloe.

"I just talked to Oliver. He told me that he saw you in Metropolis this morning."

"Oh really? And what did he say?" she asked cautiously.

"That you were still angry with him and believe me cuz, I totally understand that. I'd have hit him myself if I was sure I wouldn't hurt myself in the process."

Lois held up a hand. "Wait a second, you knew?"

"Only after he told me." she replied, quickly back-pedalling since she must've realised how it sounded. "Trust me Lois I was as angry with him as you are. I couldn't believe he would do something like that but I guess his intentions were in the right place."

Lois ignored that part and focused on something else. "So am I to assume that you know other things that I didn't? Like say, Clark's…" She let the question hang there, just in case she was wrong.

"Yeah I already know about Clark, Lois. I've known for years. But he didn't tell me, I found out on my own." she added when Lois frowned. "So I take it he told you everything again."

"He did."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And how did you react? He was worried about telling you again because he wasn't sure if your reaction would be the same as the first time."

"What was my reaction the first time?"

"You were happy that he finally told you. You'd known for a while anyway but you were going to wait for him to tell you. I know that meant a lot to him. He was so glad that you accepted him without any hesitation. That's always been one of his fears, that people would see him differently if they knew the truth about him."

Lois groaned, now she felt even worse for walking out on him last night. He must've been hurt by that.

"And I have to admit, your face when he brought you to…where I work…was priceless."

Lois slowly rubbed her temples to ease the growing headache there. "Where do you work?"

She listened intently as Chloe told her all about Watchtower and the work she did for Clark and Oliver and the others. Lois was more than a little surprised to hear that AC was also part of their little club.

"Wow," she said when Chloe finally finished. "Sounds like you guys have quite the organisation going on there."

Chloe stared at her, looking thoughtful. "What's wrong Lois?"

Lois shrugged and tried to go for a light tone. "Nothing, why would anything be wrong?"

"Because I know you and you can't lie to me."

"It's just…I don't know. Where do I fit in with all this?"

Chloe walked over to her and sat down on the desk next to her. "What are you really afraid of Lo?"

She took her time thinking that question over, because she _was_ afraid and she couldn't deny it any longer. "I don't wanna get left behind again. It hurts too much."

"Clark isn't Oliver, he would never do that to you, you know that. But there's something else, isn't there?" Man, her cousin's intuition was razor sharp today.

Lois sighed and stood up, pacing up and down. "Clark's special…"

"Yeah?" Chloe urged when Lois stopped.

"He has all these amazing gifts and I…well I'm just me. I know that sounds stupid, and totally not like me but I can't help but wonder, what does he see in me?"

"What, you think you're not worthy or something? Lois, the one thing Clark has always wanted is to be treated as a human. You bring that out in him, as much as it pains me to say it, I haven't always encouraged it. I guess he was right, I did sort of put him up on a pedestal but I never meant to. It's just I see how much potential he really has. But you, you treat him like he's just another dorky farm boy."

"Fantastic," she said dryly.

"You don't get it, you keep him grounded. Whenever he's around you, he gets this…I don't know, fire in him. He lights up because of the way you are with each other. No holds barred, he can be himself around you and he never needed to pretend. He never needed to be anything other than Clark Kent with you." She stopped and drew in a breath, then let it out in a rush.

"And in answer to your question, he sees what he's always seen, you. And he loves you Lois, even I can see how much. His eyes light up whenever your name is mentioned and he gets this goofy smile on his face. It's actually a little disturbing sometimes." she laughed.

"I know he loves me, I do. I just can't figure out why."

Chloe let out a frustrated growl. "Lois why do you need to figure out why? Isn't it enough that he loves you? You know I love you Lois but sometimes you make me wanna scream. Stop over thinking." She turned to her and grabbed one of her hands.

"Look, put aside everything you learned last night, and just take a break. All you have to do is ask yourself, what do you want?"

Lois smiled a little. "I want him."

"You have him Lois," Chloe's face was as serious as her voice and Lois knew that she was right. "Don't let him slip away. Something tells me you two…are meant for each other."

"Nah, really?" Lois replied sceptically. Not because she didn't want to believe that because she did, but because the thought had never occurred to her.

"Really, Lois and Clark…" Chloe shrugged and grinned. "I don't know, you two have a certain fire between you, that burns so strong. Don't let that go Lois."

Lois nodded again, her mind whirling with indecision. She wanted so badly to just fall into Clark's arms and forget everything that was bothering her. But she couldn't. Because she had to face the reality of the situation. Oh, what was she going to do when Clark got back? 


	41. Chapter 41

_**Chapter Forty One**_

Clark blew out the last of the flames and tuned in his hearing to see if there was anyone still left inside the building. All was quiet except for the sounds of the emergency services running around outside, getting people to safety, taking care of the wounded.

He stood back in the shadows, watching, waiting. Just in case he was needed further or if the building, which luckily had held up thus far, collapsed. When it became clear he was no longer needed, he sped off, heading back to Smallville.

He walked into the house and quickly changed into a grey t-shirt and jeans, knowing that seeing him in his Blur colours would only freak Lois out more. When he came back downstairs, she was nowhere in sight.

"Lois?" he called out, walking through the living room, checking upstairs. She was gone. No, she'd promised to wait. She wouldn't…would she?

"Lois." He stopped in the kitchen and listened hard. He heard her voice, soft and quiet, coming from the barn.

He frowned as he heard Chloe's voice too but he quickly tuned out after hearing Chloe trying to convince Lois that she should be with Clark. Because he wanted to keep listening and he didn't want to invade their privacy but also because he wasn't ready to hear Lois' answer to what Chloe was saying. So he sat down and waited. His leg took on a life of its own as it started jittering up and down but he was too focused on how he was going to persuade Lois to notice it.

Eventually he heard Chloe and Lois saying goodbye and he figured he ought to at least make his presence known so he walked out to the barn, where Chloe was just getting into her car.

"Hey Clark," Chloe said as he walked up to her.

"Hey Chloe, what are you doing here?"

"I came by to see how you two were doing." She looked up at the barn. "Apparently I came at a bad time."

"Not really, well…yeah. Where is Lois anyway?"

"She's still in the loft. Clark," She paused halfway in and out of her car, looking at him pleadingly.

He nodded. "I know Chloe, I know."

"Okay well, I'll leave you to it." She glanced back to the barn quickly and then to him.

"Good luck." He watched her drive off, waiting a moment before making his way up to the loft.

Lois was standing by the window, her back to him, leaning against the frame. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he reached the top step, because he wanted to hold her so badly he didn't trust himself not to push her too far before she was ready.

"Chloe just left." she said quietly, turning around. She'd been crying, her eyes were red and her make up was mostly gone. And yet she'd never looked more beautiful to him. He swallowed hard and walked over to her, slowly.

"I know, I saw her." He braced his arms on the wooden sill in front of him, staring out over the fields as she was. "Lois, we need to talk."

"Yeah, I suppose we do. But I need you to understand that this isn't about you, or how I feel about you. That hasn't changed."

He turned to look at her then, and he didn't know what to say. He'd rehearsed this conversation since he'd left her earlier and he still wasn't any closer to knowing what he should do or say.

"Then what has?" he asked. "Please, help me understand why all of a sudden you don't think you're good enough for me."

She shrugged. "It's not all of a sudden believe me."

He frowned, she was holding back again. He reached out and grabbed both of her shoulders, forcing her to stand still in front of him. "Lois, talk to me."

When she stayed silent he tipped her chin up with one finger and stared into her eyes. "I know you like to be strong and tough, but I see you Lois. I see how vulnerable you can be, it's not a bad thing. You're only human, it's okay to feel this way." He leaned a little closer, just a little. "With me, it's okay."

She smiled briefly, but it wasn't a happy smile. "I know that." She cleared her throat and looked into his eyes. "I do love you Clark, I never want you to doubt that."

"Then why can't we be together, Lois this is stupid."

"Because where your life is heading, it's way bigger than me, than us."

"It doesn't have to be. Lois I want you in my life."

"I know but how am I supposed to fit in your world?" she said, pulling out of his grip.  
"How am I supposed to help you with your destiny?"

That word again. Clark hated that word. So far all it had managed to do was ruin his life and here it was again, about to destroy something else he wanted so badly. He couldn't stand it. He'd already lost enough because of his secret, he wasn't going to lose her too.

"Lois, there's something I need to show you. Will you come with me?"

She frowned at the sudden change in topic. "Where?"

He quickly assessed what she was wearing and decided that it was warm enough. He scooped her up into his arms, and looked down at the surprise on her face. "Keep your head down."

She did as she was told and when he took off, remembering to run a little slower with her in his arms, she buried her head in his chest and he had to fight the urge to stop and just cuddle up to her. He tried to ignore the way she fit in his arms, so perfect, as if she had been made specifically for him.

When he reached their destination, he slowly put her down, but kept his arms around her as she got her bearings. Then he heard her gasp.

"What is this place?" Her eyes were wide open, taking in every little thing around her with fascination.

"This is my Fortress. It's a little piece of my home planet that my father sent with me in my ship when I landed."

Why was he so nervous? Lois' expression changed from one of fascination to one of pure shock. _Oh, that's why_, he thought. He had no idea how she was going to react to this. But if he was going to share himself with her, he had to share it all.

"You _ran_ here?"

"Uh yeah."

"Wow, that's um…impressive. But what are we doing here Clark?"

He took her hand and led her towards the central control panel. He watched as her eyes roamed over the crystals there. She reached out to touch one but then pulled her hand back. "They're warm."

"Yeah I don't know how that works, we're in the middle of the Arctic and in here it's like summer. It usually isn't like this, normally it's freezing. Well to those who can feel it." He was babbling, he realised, but she was making him nervous.

"Kryptonian technology?" she offered with a small smile. "But I meant…why did you bring _me_ here? Isn't this place supposed to be…a secret? I mean what would happen if someone found it?"

"Lois, I wanted you to see it. I want you to know everything there is to know about me."

He pulled out one of the crystals and placed it another slot, and then a bright light surrounded them both. A brief history of Krypton played out in front of them but Clark was paying more attention to the woman he was holding than the lessons that were showing.

Lois however, was engrossed in everything, her eyes bright and wide, her mouth slightly open. But the thing he liked the most was, her fingers were digging into his arms, her hands holding on tightly to him as if she were afraid to let go.

When it ended, the light disappeared, leaving them both disoriented for a second.

"Lois? You okay?"

"Mm-hmm." She nodded, but he wasn't so sure, so he turned her to face him and  
shook her shoulders gently.

"Lois,"

"I always thought you were kinda lonely on the farm, when I first got to Smallville." she said, her voice quiet. "But then you changed and I didn't see it much after that, but this, you lost so much without even knowing it…oh Clark, I'm sorry."

Before he could reply, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back just as hard, needing to feel her body against his. But when he pulled back, he was stunned to see tears in her eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, it was slightly unnerving to see Lois cry over something like that. He'd only ever seen her cry twice in the four years he'd known her. "I _was_ lonely, but I never really knew why because I didn't even know I wasn't human until my dad told me. I was fifteen and I was being told I was an alien by my father…"

She put her hand on his chest. "Please don't say that word. I don't like it, it's not you."

He pushed the lump in his throat down and coughed. "But when you came to Smallville, I didn't feel lonely after that. Because you were always there…"

"Annoying you, that was my job." she smirked.

"Yeah but it worked. I was never lonely around you. You kept my mind off things, made me feel like I really was a part of everything. I think maybe a part of me loved you even then."

"Yeah, right."

"No I mean it. I had never met anyone like you before, you steam-rolled into my life and I couldn't get you out. But that wasn't a bad thing. I was happy when we became friends, because that meant I could spend more time with you and not have to have a reason for it."

She scoffed. "Clark, you were so in love with Lana then, you wouldn't have noticed me if I'd hit you with a sledgehammer. Which, now I know, wouldn't even have made you flinch."

He wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, unwilling to let go. "I was young and Lana was the first girl I ever loved. But I think that maybe I loved the idea of being with her, of being normal with her, of living a normal, boring life where nothing happens except the ordinary. But it wasn't right, it wasn't real. This here, right now, what I feel for you, is real Lois."

"But this can't work Clark." she said, serious again.

"Why not? Give me one good reason." He wished that another memory flash would pop up to give him an idea of why she felt this way, but nothing came and he was beginning to get the impression that that bright flash in the alley where he'd rescued Lois, meant that his visions were now over. That he'd had his epiphany.

"Because…" she drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly. "Okay, because I'm scared that I'm not enough for you. That I'll hold you back instead of help."

"Not enough for me? Lois you're more than I can handle sometimes, and I like it that way. You're strong, you're independent, feisty. But more than that, you're caring and, don't hit me for saying this but you can be really sweet sometimes. You put yourself on the line to protect the people you love, you make me a better person because you constantly challenge me. All our little war of the words over the years made me feel…I don't know…human I guess."

He nodded resolutely. "Yeah, you make me feel human Lois." He brushed her lips with his thumb.

"You aren't afraid of anything, you're amazing. Sometimes when we're working together, it's all I can do not to stare at you. Your nose twitches when you're deep in concentration and when you smile, your eyes sparkle. When you go after a story you really go after it, and you bring it in regardless of what happens in the process."

"That's the woman I fell in love with. The one who makes me laugh, makes me smile until my face hurts, makes me feel ten feet tall when she smiles at me. You don't realise how special you are. I may have abilities, so it doesn't take much for me to do what I do because I know that not much can hurt me. But you, you dive in anyway, in spite of the risks. That's bravery. So who's the hero here?"

"It's not the same Clark, you have a higher calling…" She trailed off. He stared at her, trying to understand where she was coming from. And then something occurred to him.

"Lois," He placed his hands on her cheeks, staring deep into her eyes. "You do know that I would never leave you right? That you would never be left behind."

Fresh tears filled her eyes and though he hated seeing it, he couldn't help but think it was a sign of progress. Now they were getting somewhere.

"You can't see the future Clark, you can't know."

"No I can't. But I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that it never happens." She looked sceptical but he refused to let her believe it wouldn't work.

"Lois I've never felt this strongly about anyone before. I love you so much that it actually scares me a little, because I know that to be apart from you, even for a little while, would hurt so much. So believe me, I would never let that happen."

She nodded, wiping her tears. "Okay. But…" He cut her off by crashing his lips down on hers, unable to take anymore.

She tensed for a moment but then relaxed into his kiss, her arms winding their way around his neck, her head tilting to give him better access. He took advantage and slipped his tongue into her mouth, both of them moaning at the contact.

After what seemed like seconds but was really minutes passed, Clark pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. Both were breathing heavy and he was secretly pleased to see the flush in her cheeks.

"Smallville." she whispered against his lips and he froze. He's been so sure he wouldn't hear that name again and now that she'd said it, he realised how badly he'd wanted to.

"Oh, guess I can't really call you that anymore huh?"

"I want you to. I never thought I would like the nickname that you gave me when we first met but, I do. That's something that belongs to us, just us and I never want you to stop calling me that."

She smiled, a real smile that lit up her eyes. "Okay then, Smallville it is." Then she frowned. "Clark, why did you show me that Kryptonian history?"

"Because I wanted you to see that my race is no more special than humans. On my home planet, they didn't have powers, they were just like you. Its only the yellow sun on this planet that gives me my abilities."

"I like that, abilities. It sounds better than powers." Clark shook his head, smiling. This woman knew so much it was like she was inside his head. "I'm so proud of you, doing what you do. It can't be easy."

"It's not." he admitted, still holding her close to him. "I see some terrible things that the human race is capable of. But then I look at you and I see all the good humanity has to offer, that it's worth protecting. There can be a lot of bad in this world, but also a lot of good too. That's why my father sent me here, he knew that humans were a great people."

She narrowed her eyes, studying him. "But you are human Clark. I mean sure you have all these abilities but you're more human than most of the guys I've ever met."

He smiled fondly at the memory of his mom and dad. "Well, I have my parents to thank for that. They raised me right."

Lois smiled. "They sure did."

She let go of him and stepped back and he felt the loss instantly, wanting to reach out and grab her again. But he didn't, he let her go, watching as she wiped her hands over her face.

"I'm sorry Smallville."

"What for?"

"For putting you through this."

She looked over at him, feeling a swirl of emotions that she couldn't identify. But there was one that she knew all too well. Why was she doing this to him? She loved him, which meant she never wanted to hurt him.

But that was what she was doing right now, she could see it in his eyes. He was scared that he was going to lose her. She walked back over to him and took his face in her hands, then softly, she kissed his lips. "I love you so much."

"Does that mean you wanna be with me?" he asked, hope burning bright in his eyes.

She nodded, still holding his face in her hands. "Yes Clark, I wanna be with you. I've never had this…connection with anyone before, now that I have it, I don't wanna go back to the way things were." She shook her head. "This is embarrassing to admit but…I don't wanna be alone anymore."

"You're not alone Lois, I won't let that happen. You'll always have me, no matter what."

His smile was enough for her then, he grinned so wide she thought his face would split. He scooped her up, swinging her around in a circle before putting her down and kissing her senseless.

"I really don't know what I would've done if you'd said we shouldn't be together." he said, his breathing fast.

"You know what?" She chuckled as he lifted her into him arms again, ready to go back home. "Neither do I. But you do realise that I have to move out of the farm now don't you?"

"What?" His shock was pretty funny, now that he was a little more relaxed. "Why?"

She laughed a little and patted his cheek. "Smallville, we've only just started dating, don't you think it's a bit soon to be living together?"

He didn't look away as he thought about it. His eyes stayed locked on hers. "I don't want you to move out. I love having you at the farm."

She pursed her lips, then chuckled when she saw his eyes drift down to them. "I don't know, it seems really fast…"

"Tell you what, why don't we give it a little time see what happens. If after that you still wanna move out…well, I won't stop you." But he wouldn't like it, he made that pretty clear just from the look on his face.

"Okay, we'll see." She grinned at him."But if you think I'm doing the cooking, you're sorely mistaken buddy."

He tried unsuccessfully to hide his grimace. "That may not be such a bad thing Lois,"

She punched him in the shoulder. "Get movin' Smallville."

**Author's Note: The next chapter will be the last one. Thanks for reading this and commenting, it means a lot, I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you.**


	42. Chapter 42

I've decided that this is going to have to be two chapters because it is just waaay too long to post as one. I didn't expect to have this much for this chap but my muse kinda got carried away and there's a lot that's going on in this one. So here's the first part:

**_Chapter Forty Two_**

**_Six Months Later…_**

Of all the mornings Lois didn't want to get up, this was the one. She woke up warm and drowsy, cuddled like a spoon against Clark, their hands clasped even in sleep. She felt great, better than any day, ever, in her whole life. It was a feeling that greeted her most mornings when she awoke in his arms.

In the still hush of early morning, she tried to freeze the moment, the sound of his soft, steady breathing, the feel of him relaxed and solid next to her. _I want this_, she thought. _Every day. For life. Forever_.

And then her alarm clock went off, shrieking. Lois flailed and slapped at it, then succeeded in knocking it to the floor. She dived for it and finally got it switched off, feeling like a complete fool that she'd left it on in the first place. She twisted around and saw that Clark had opened his eyes, but hadn't otherwise moved.

He looked drowsy and sweet, hair mussed, eyes droopy, and she leant back down to kiss him, sweet and slow. His arms went around her, and it felt so natural, so perfect that she felt a glow, that feeling of absolute rightness.

"Hey," he said. "You're cute when you're panicked."

"Just when I'm panicked?"

He rolled his eyes at her and brought her head down for another kiss, this one a little hotter. More passion than sweetness, letting her know exactly how much he needed her. His fingers drew lazy circles on her back, which felt like trails of sunlight. "What's the plan for today? Because I'm in favour of nothing but this."

She _so_ wanted that too. But there was a reason her alarm had gone off. "I need to go into work for a little while." she said with a sigh.

"What? It's a Saturday, neither of us have to go to work."

His lips caressed her bare shoulder, distracting her from answering, which she guessed, was his intent. "I know but…"

"Skip it."

"I can't. Investigative reporting waits for no one, and doesn't take the weekend off either."

"Then I'll go with you." He smiled, a lazy smile that did funny things to her insides. "I just really want to spend today with you."

He made it too difficult to say no. "I guess. I mean, we'll probably get more work done that way. I do have a few things to check out though."

He raised himself up onto one shoulder. "Well, how about I take a couple and you take a couple. That way we'll get it done faster and then we can come back here." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she had to laugh at his not-so-subtle hint.

He was almost a different person with her now, much more confident and unashamed of showing her how he felt. But at the same time, he was still the sweet, caring farm boy she'd come to love. The fact that he was also the Red-Blue-Blur was just an added bonus.

"Come on, what do you say?"

Well, his arguments were persuasive. _Really_ persuasive. And the things that man could do with his lips, _wow_. She bit her lip and sighed. "Okay."

She forced herself to get up, grab a quick shower before Clark beat her to it, and tried not to think about the fact that he was still lying naked in bed. And he still was when she came back in to get dressed.

His hands were behind his head, and he looked ridiculously satisfied with the world- and with himself. It was something that she was still getting used to. She smacked his bare foot, which was sticking out from under the sheet. "Get up Smallville, time to get to work."

"I'd rather just stay here and watch the show. Besides, it doesn't take me as long as you to get ready." His smiled was wicked, and really, really dangerous.

"_So_ not the point. Come on." She leaned over him and kissed him again, avoided his grabby hands and raced out the door.

Downstairs she went about getting some breakfast for her and Clark, and put on a fresh pot of coffee. By the time he joined her, hair wet from the shower and smelling fantastic, she was already tucking in.

"Ooh bacon, and hey, it's not burnt." She glared at him as he grinned, threw her a wink, and sat down to eat.

This was a normal morning for them both. After a pretty heavy discussion, during which Clark had put his argument across very strongly, she had decided not to move out of the farm. But she'd stood her ground when it came to keeping her own room, even though she spent almost every night in Clark's. Sometimes they switched and he'd stay in her room but if she was honest she had to admit that she liked his room better.

* * *

Even for a Saturday the bullpen was pretty busy as she walked in, heading towards her desk. Clark went to his and sat down, but he just sat watching her as she went about gathering the things she would need. He swung gently from side to side, watching with a smile and eventually, the creaking in the chair got so annoying that she slapped her palms on her desk and glared at him.

"What?" he asked, the picture of innocence. But he kept swinging his chair anyway. "Oh I'm sorry is this bothering you?

"The chair or you in it?" Lois huffed out a sigh and handed him a folder. "Here, you need to go to this address and interview this guy. He was a witness to the assault on the Mayor yesterday-"

"Why didn't I know the Mayor got assaulted?" he said with a suddenly serious frown.

"Because you were…busy, at the time." she said, making a whooshing gesture.  
"Anyway, he's agreed to be interviewed but wants his name kept out of the paper."

"And while I'm doing that, what are you going to be doing?" He raised an eyebrow and she knew that look all too well. She'd seen it a lot over recent months.

"Nothing dangerous don't worry. I'm just going to see if I can talk to the Mayor."

His frown turned sceptical. "Lois, do you really think you're gonna get in to see the Mayor on a Saturday?"

"Probably not but it's worth a shot and I have one other thing to check out and then I'm done."

"Then you're mine for the day?" he asked, hopeful.

Normally that would've irritated her. She didn't like to think of herself belonging to anybody, she was independent. But Clark knew that and he respected that she was her own person, he just liked to put a label on it. She had no idea why, labels didn't really mean all that much to her.

But she had to admit, and it went against everything in her nature to do so, she sort of liked Clark saying she was his. Because she did kind of think of Clark being hers too.

She sent him a warm smile. "I'm yours for as long as you want me Smallville." she said in a quiet voice.

"That'll be an awfully long time Lois, are you sure you're up to the challenge?" he said, his gaze locking on hers, refusing to allow her to look away. She wouldn't have been able to if she'd tried.

She swallowed. "I think I can handle it. Now come on, get moving."

"Yes boss." He got up and walked around his desk.

"And don't you forget that." Cupping her cheek with one hand, he leaned in and kissed her, then walked away. She stood there watching him walk up the stairs, her eyes inadvertently glued to his backside. She shook her head free of the mental images and grabbed her purse, voice recorder and press pass and headed out.

* * *

Well, Clark had been right, and boy, she hated when that happened, the Mayor hadn't been available for questioning. Though she knew he had to at least be in the building because his secretary had promised, quite confidently, that he'd call her back with a more convenient time to be interviewed. She highly doubted she'd be getting that call.

She crossed the street and opened her car door, pausing to look through the window of the shop next to it. There was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen in the front display window. She bit her lip and thought for a moment, because the price tag on the dress was a little out of her range. But she needed a dress to wear tonight so she shut her door and headed inside the shop before she could change her mind.

She came out ten minutes later, beaming. Turned out it had a 'twenty percent off' offer on it and mainly she just couldn't wait to see the look on Clark's face when he saw her in it.

As she buckled her seat belt and turned the key, she felt something poke into her side, something cold and hard. Then a dark, menacing voice spoke in her ear and she realised too late that she must've forgotten to lock her car before going into the shop. _Nice one Lois_.

"Don't turn around. Start the car, drive away calmly and don't try anything funny."

"You've gotta be kidding me. I'm getting carjacked in broad daylight?"

She glanced in the rear-view mirror and wished she hadn't. The man, with dark brown hair that looked like it hadn't been washed for a month, and dark eyes, was smiling.

"Can't very well do it at night can I? That stupid alien freak you love so much patrols at night."

Anger simmered at the mention of Clark and the word 'alien', but she couldn't do anything in her current position. With a gun poking her, she had no other option but to do as he said so she calmly put on her indicator, and pulled out onto the busy road.

"Where exactly am I taking you?" she asked politely, feeling anything but.

"Oh this isn't a taxi ride sweetheart."

"No offence but could you not speak so close." His breath was so bad it was actually making her eyes water.

His answer to that was to lean in even closer and smile. "You think you're pretty clever huh? With the Blur always rescuing you, giving you all those interviews. Tell me, what does Lois Lane have that keeps him so interested?"

"Nothing you're going to see I can tell you that."

"I've seen your articles about him, _Miss Lane_," he sneered. "You're the Blur's little girlfriend."

"Can't spare a dime for a bar of soap but you can get the Daily Planet?" she mumbled, because she didn't actually want to say it too loud. Although, judging from the way the gun dug into her side, making her wince a little, he'd clearly heard it.

"Shut up!"

"Truth hurts huh?"

He ignored that and sat back, gun still aimed at her but out of sight and she soon found herself driving down an alley just before the city limits.

"Turn the engine off and give me your keys." She did as he said, looking for any opportunity to kick his butt. There was none, of course, considering he still had his gun trained on her as he made her get out of the car.

He flung her bag at her as he slid into the driver's seat, causing her brand new dress to fall out and splash into a puddle.

"Hey I just bought that you jerk!" Without thinking, her hand flew out, clenched into a fist and smacked him right in the face. He let out a surprised yell and she got a moment's satisfaction that she'd hurt him. Then her smile faded as he got out of the car, grabbed her and threw up against it.

His body pressed hers into the metal, bending her over the hood whilst grabbing her hair painfully.

"You shouldn't have done that sweetheart. I was just content to take your car but now I think I'll have to take you too. Quite a bargain if you ask me."

"Let her go." She'd never been so relieved to hear those words. Though she realised that this was yet another occasion where Clark was having to rescue her again. But hey, she couldn't fight against bullets right? And he hadn't taken any chances, he'd kept the gun on her pretty much all the time.

The guy with the gun turned around, but didn't let go of her hair and she twisted to see that the person rescuing her wasn't Clark at all. It was…Green Arrow. She'd never seen him out during the day either. She thought Oliver usually did his patrols at night, less chance of being seen that way. Not that she could see his face now, it was covered pretty well.

"Well looky here, a real live hero. What are you gonna do leather boy, spank me?" he mocked.

Oliver didn't reply, he just raised his arm and shot an arrow into the guy's shoulder. A small electrical current, kind of like a taser, shot through his body, sending him convulsing to the ground, his hand still full of Lois' hair, dragging her down with him.

Within seconds she was hauled to her feet, Oliver's hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I think so. Thanks for showing up, although…" She narrowed her eyes  
suspiciously. "You weren't following me were you?" she asked, taking a step back from him.

She hadn't seen all that much of Oliver recently, though their friendship- if that's what it could be called anymore- had remained fairly intact. He'd kept his word about going to therapy and she had started to see a whole new Oliver in the process. He seemed a lot happier in his life now, but there would always be that little, tiny resentment towards him for what he'd done.

He lowered his glasses but not his hood and looked offended. "No I wasn't following you Lois. I was across the street when I saw someone sitting in your car. I couldn't do anything because you drove off and I didn't want to act without some back up. So I thought Green Arrow would be more useful."

She nodded slowly. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Oh man," she groaned as she caught sight of her dress. She bent down to pick it up and stared at the muddy mess. "That was brand new."

"Sorry." Oliver said, grimacing at the dress in her hands.

"Not your fault. Look I have to get back to the Planet, Clark will be wondering where I am. But I guess I'll be seeing you tonight."

She watched him do a double take. "You mean you're coming?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well it is a charity event and what would that be without the Daily Planet's star reporter there to tell the story?"

A slow smile spread across his face. "That's great, thank you. Does that mean Clark accepted my invitation too?"

"Considering he's been griping about wearing a tux for the last two weeks, I'd say that's a yes."

"Excellent, I'm…well I'm glad." He looked down at the unconscious man on the ground.  
"I'll take care of him. I'll see you later Lois."

"Thanks…Ollie."


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Well guys, here it is, the final chapter. I have to say that I'm half sad that this story is ending and half glad because it was a lot of work. But I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read and commented on this fic. I truly do appreciate your feedback and I hope you enjoy this last chapter.  
**  
_**Chapter Forty Three**_

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this till now." Clark said, angrily, later that day.

Lois poked her head out of the closet in her bedroom to look at him. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, his face a mask of barely concealed anger.

"It's no big deal Smallville, I told you, Oliver helped me."

She was starting to regret telling him at all but when the police called round to get her statement, she hadn't been able to hide it from him.

"No big deal? Lois you could've gotten seriously hurt. Why didn't you call for me? You know I could've been there in a flash."

"Come on Smallville, if I called you every time I got into trouble, you wouldn't have time to do anything else now would you?"

It was meant as a joke but she could see he wasn't taking it as one. She stopped her browsing and came out of her closet, ignoring the fact that she was only wearing her bra and panties as she crouched down in front of him.

"Look, you can't be at my constant beck and call Clark. There will be times when things happen that you can't be around for. I understand that, and you should too. Besides, it really wasn't that bad," she shuddered as she remembered. "He stank my car out pretty badly though, I don't think he's ever heard of running water."

Clark's hands came up to cup her cheeks. "Just promise me if anything like this ever happens again, you'll call for me. I'll always hear you."

"I know you will." she replied, neatly side-stepping the promise because it was one she couldn't make. "But you can't be everywhere at once. I'm a big girl, I can handle it. Besides, the Green Arrow proved he was worth having around in a pinch."

She resumed her task of trying to find something decent to wear since her new dress got trashed. Clark stood in the closet doorway, leaning against the frame, watching her silently.

"How come Oliver was there anyway? As Green Arrow I mean?"

"He said he saw me driving away…wait," she turned and looked at his face. "You're not…jealous, are you?"

He shifted from one foot to the other. "No, I just…I was worried about you that's all."

She shook her head and chuckled. "Smallville, he didn't steal your hero thunder. Correct me if I'm wrong but there isn't anyone out there that can do that. I mean, you're one of a kind, right?"

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug and changed the subject. "What are you doing?" he asked, as if he only just realised where they were.

"Looking for something to wear to this stupid party tonight. I bought a new dress but it got kinda messed up earlier."

"You could go like that. I wouldn't mind." Shocked, she turned again to see him grinning. But his eyes were roaming her body, full of lust.

He leaned forward, and at first it was a light, teasing brush of their lips, then soft, damp pressure, then more. He had such wonderful lips. They made her ignite inside, and it felt like gravity increased, all on its own, dragging her back against the closet wall, dragging him with her. She clung to his shirt collar, as if letting go would mean falling. She wasn't entirely sure that wouldn't happen so she kept a tight hold until he pulled back.

"Actually, on second thought, I might mind." He sighed as he leaned his forehead against hers. "We shouldn't really be…we don't really have time do we?" he asked, the tone of his voice asking her to tell him he was wrong. But he wasn't.

"Sorry Smallville, guess you'll have to put it on hold for later. We have to get ready. The party's in an hour and I still haven't figured out what I'm going to wear and it's also in Metropolis so you're gonna have to run us there and…"

He reached out and grabbed her shoulders, smiling. "Lois calm down. We have enough time, don't worry."

"Easy for you to say, you're outfit wasn't ruined by some creep with a hygiene  
deficiency." He cupped her cheek and stared deep into her eyes.

"Whatever you wear, you'll always be beautiful to me."

"Aw Smallville…" She trailed a finger down his jaw line. "You're such a sap. But…I promise tonight, we'll pick up where we left off."

A knock at the back door downstairs broke off his reply. With a quiet, almost agonised groan, he stepped back, out of the closet, and smiled at her attire, or lack of as it were.

"Guess I should go get that."

"You guessed right." She laughed and turned back to her hunt as he walked out.

"Ugh! Why is there nothing in here good enough to wear?" she said to herself, knowing full well that she had a number of dresses she could wear, but she'd had her heart set on that one from the shop. She would've knocked Clark's socks of with that thing.

She grabbed two dresses and stepped out to stand in front of the full length mirror, holding each one up in front of her, her lips twisting thoughtfully as she tried to decide which one to go with.

"Oh hey Clark, which one looks better?" she asked, holding each one out in turn as he walked back in the room.

"The black one."

"Hmm, I don't know…"

"The red one?"

"Maybe…"

He raised his eyebrows. "There's really no right answer to this question is there?"

She chuckled. "You're learning Smallville I'll give you that. Who was at the door?"

"Courier actually. But it wasn't for me. Here." He handed her a box, which was fairly large and plain, with no markings on it. She frowned at Clark, who stared back with a blank expression and opened it.

She gasped. "No way! I can't believe this!"

"What? What is it?"

She lifted the dress out of the box, the dress she had picked out earlier, in pristine condition. In fact it was brand new. But still just as gorgeous. There was a note underneath it.

_Lois,_

I'm sorry your dress was ruined earlier, and I know that this will probably only make you angry since I know you don't like receiving things. But I wanted to give you this, as a gift. Please accept it and my apologies once again. I really do value your friendship. Looking forward to seeing you tonight, I just know you're going to be beautiful. Clark's one lucky guy.

Oliver.

P.S, the dress is non-refundable, I made sure they wouldn't take it back if you tried so you have to keep it.

Great, now she had something that had been bought for her? Fantastic. She hated owing anyone anything, much less this, because the dress wasn't cheap. But Oliver had obviously planned for that because she couldn't return it either.

She glanced up at Clark, who was standing there waiting to be filled in, so she handed him the card and waited while he read it.

"Wow, that's uh…generous of him I guess."

"It really is." she replied, looking down at the dress again, torn about what she should do.

"I say you should wear it." He was in an eerily good mood, she thought. Not that he wasn't usually, but today was a little more…well, more. Oliver's party wasn't really that much to get excited about, was it?

Her eyes flew up to meet his. "What? Really?"

"Yeah, come on. I mean you obviously like it and Oliver's trying to do something nice here. I think you should keep it."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeply. "You are the best boyfriend ever."

"I'll have to remember to buy you things if it means I get this reaction." he said with a light chuckle but she suspected that he was a tiny bit annoyed at Oliver's thoughtfulness.

"Are you sure about this? Because I don't want you to…"

"Lois, its fine really. I want you to be happy, and something tells me I'm going to like what I'm about to see."

She grinned and winked at him. Grabbing his shirt collar, she dragged him down onto her bed kissing him all the way. "Oh, you can bet on that."

* * *

"Lois! Come on we're already half an hour late." Clark yelled up the stairs. He checked his watch, yep, definitely late. Still, he and Lois were both to blame for that.

He smiled as he walked around the kitchen, fiddling with his cufflinks. He could still feel her lips on his, everything they'd done in the last hour was still fresh in his head and he wished he could freeze time. Just to keep everything as it was, right now.

The last six months with Lois had been so great, he'd never been happier in his whole life. She might like to think that they still lived separately whilst they were in different bedrooms, but really, considering they always spent every night together, they _were in fact, _ living together.

And he loved it. He wanted to have this forever. To build a home with her, a life, a…family. Even if that wasn't possible, the idea was still enough to keep him going.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, smiling to himself. This was going to be a night to remember.

"Well, what do you think?"

His thought process was abruptly shattered as he looked at her, standing there on the bottom step, radiant. He could see why she was so in love with that dress, it was…perfect on her.

It was a deep purple colour, strapless, with a corset type bodice that accentuated her slender waist, and a long billowy skirt that made it look more like a ball gown than a simple dress. But it was made for her.

"Wow…" His mouth had gone dry, he couldn't speak. The top half of her hair was held up by a clip that had some kind of jewels in it, he didn't know what they were, and the rest fell in gorgeous dark, brown waves down her back.

"I take it that's a good noise?" she laughed as she walked over to him and tipped his open jaw up with one finger. He hadn't realised his mouth had fallen open.

He cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're perfect."

"So are you." she replied softly, stepping back to look at him in his tux and from the look she gave him, for once, he didn't hate wearing the thing. He felt…proud, especially knowing that he was going to a party with the most beautiful woman in the room on his arm.

He held out his arms, winking at her. "Shall we?"

* * *

"Chloe, Jimmy. Thanks so much for coming." Oliver said cheerfully as he walked over to greet them. The party was being held in the ballroom of one of Metropolis' most prestigious hotels. He had to stifle a laugh at the awed look on Jimmy's face. Apparently this was his first time in a place like this.

"Sorry we're late. You've done a great job here Ollie, well done. This should raise a ton of money," Chloe replied, wide eyes looking around the room.

His eyes made a quick sweep, of all the rich and important folk there, but none of that mattered to him. What was important was that they raised enough money, and that he could once again be with his friends.

"Thanks, let's hope so huh? So where's Clark and Lois?"

"Oh they're not here? Huh, I'm sure they'll be here soon." Chloe must've seen his unease that they wouldn't show because she took his hand and smiled. "They'll be here Ollie, they promised."

He nodded and left them to go get their drinks. He had to admit that he was nervous. This was the first time he would be openly socialising with them in six months, ever since he'd made that terrible mistake. But he could never take it back, he just had to settle for making it up to them.

Things had been easier lately, but he could always tell that Lois found it hard to forgive him. Clark, not so much, he seemed to be a lot more understanding, which made Oliver feel even worse. But that was who Clark Kent was and he was nothing if not forgiving.

Though Oliver had certainly tested the boundaries of their friendship and he still carried the guilt with him even now. Clark was a good guy, a true hero, and he hadn't deserved what Oliver had done.

He spotted them as they entered, Clark taking Lois' shawl and giving it to the attendant. Their eyes met and for a few seconds neither of them moved, but then Clark put his hand lightly on the small of Lois' back and guided her towards him.

He hadn't been wrong, she was a vision in that dress. He was a little relieved to see her wearing it. It meant that she wasn't about to punch him for buying it for her.

"I'm glad you guys made it." Oliver said, reaching a hand out to shake Clark's. He then took Lois' hand and kissed her knuckles. "You're beautiful Lois. That dress suits you perfectly."

"It is beautiful, thanks Ollie." Lois smiled at him but Clark looked a little irritated and Oliver realised it probably wasn't a good thing to say things like that in front of him.

"Looks like you got a good turn out." Lois said.

"Yeah we did, I'm glad." He stopped and looked at them, capturing both sets of eyes and a few minutes of silence took over.

Lois was the first to break it, shocking Oliver completely. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear.

"I forgive you. I'm happy you're in my life Ollie, it wouldn't be the same without you."

Then before he could even reply, she stepped back and took Clark's hand. "Just don't do anything like that again okay? Cos next time you might end up with more than a black eye and a broken wrist, get me?"

"I get you."

He took a deep breath, because Clark was smiling at him now, clearly agreeing with Lois and it made him feel a little…overwhelmed might be the right word, he couldn't describe how good it felt to finally be forgiven.

"Thank you. So much. I promise you never have to worry about that. I've made great progress in my therapy sessions, so much so that they're coming to an end. But I, well I just wanted to say sorry one last time. And I really am."

Clark shook his hand. "It's okay Oliver. Let's just put all this behind us. In the past where it belongs."

Lois clapped her hands together. "Great, now that that's sorted, how about one of you go get me a drink while I mingle with the cousin I've just spotted over there." Lois said, pointing over to Chloe.

Clark laughed, slapped Oliver on the back and led him off to the bar.

* * *

_Perfect_. That was the only word that would come to mind right now. Just perfect.

The night was dry and warm, stars twinkling brightly as Clark stood out on the front porch at the farm, cradling a cup of hot chocolate in his hand. Lois had, of course, made fun of him for it, but he knew for a fact that she liked to drink it too.

Speaking of Lois, he turned as he heard the screen door open and there she was. She had gotten changed out of her dress, but she still looked as delicious as before, even though she was now wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants. Her comfy clothes that she liked to wear when she was snuggling with him on the sofa.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, standing next to him.

He was still in his tux, though he'd loosened his tie and top button, mainly because he'd been in his own little world as he'd been standing there and they hadn't been home that long. It was late, or early in the morning depending on your definition, but he was relieved that he hadn't had an emergency to deal with all night. It was as if he'd been given the night off to spend the way he wanted to. With Lois. And his friends.

And she'd had a lot of fun too. She'd been dancing, laughing and enjoying herself all night and it made Clark happy to see her like that. Even if she did make him get up and dance with her. It had been okay during the slow songs, he'd loved swaying with her in his arms, her head resting on his chest, but then she went and made him get up to the upbeat songs and he knew he was never going to live it down. He wasn't exactly a graceful dancer. But with Lois there, none of that mattered. And he'd found himself having just as much fun.

"I'm great Lo." he said with a gentle sigh.

She shoulder bumped him as she leaned against the railing. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I'm just…everything seems to have worked out doesn't it? It doesn't feel quite real, but it's...all I could've asked for and more."

Lois shook her head, clearly puzzled. "Mm, I guess. Do you think we did the right thing with Oliver?"

"What, forgiving him you mean?"

"Kind of. I mean I want to, and I know that he still feels bad…"

"Then what's the point in holding a grudge. Life's too short Lois."

"Yeah, you're right. Man I hate it when you're right."

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Listen, I want to show you something. I was waiting for the right time, but this is as good a time as any."

"Okay?"

"Close your eyes."

She frowned at him but then did as he asked, her frown deepening when she felt his arms tighten around her waist.

He kept his gaze on her face and concentrated. Then a few minutes later, he said softly. "Okay, you can open them now."

Slowly, she did. And then she squealed and clamped her hands down on his arms so tight that it would've bruised if he were a human.

"Oh my God Clark!" Her eyes were wide as saucers, her mouth a giant 'o' shape as she scrambled to find the right words. "We're…you're…how?"

"It's not important how, but it happened a few days ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her face was a little more relaxed now that she was sure it was really happening and she wasn't dreaming. But she kept her death grip on his arms as she looked over the cornfields floating by below them.

They weren't very high up, just far enough for Clark to show her his new ability. He'd been aching to tell her since it had happened, but he'd wanted to wait for the right time. And that time was tonight.

"Because I wanted to wait for the right time. I wanted it to be about the two of us."

Her eyes slowly drifted to his and even though the shock was still evidently there, he could also see a hint of pride. "You're flying Clark. I can't believe you can fly."

"It happened once when I was younger, but never since and I was afraid that it never would. But yeah, I can fly. Well, defying gravity might be a better term." he chuckled.

"So I guess that means Kara can fly too?"

"Yeah, she tried to teach me once…" He grimaced at the memory of the face-plant he did into the dirt. "Didn't go so well. But this feels so amazing Lois, I wanted to share it with you. You're the one I wanted to bring up here first."

Her eyes flickered with humour. "Oh so Chloe didn't get first dibs?"

He shook his head and wrapped his arms a little tighter around her waist, bringing her straight up against his body as he floated in the air, upright, almost like they were dancing in the moonlit sky. Chest to chest, face to face, he couldn't imagine holding anyone else like this, ever. It would always be Lois.

"You'll always be first Lois." he whispered in her ear and he noticed her shiver. "Are you cold? We can go back…"

"No! No, I'm wonderful. This is…" she blinked shook her head. "This is so amazing." Then she said seriously. "Just don't you dare drop me. I know how clumsy you can be."

He laughed. "I would never drop you Lois, mostly because I wouldn't hear the end of it."

She laughed and nodded but then fell quiet again as she stared at the stars in the sky. "It's so beautiful up here."

But he wasn't looking at the sky, the beauty he was looking at was in his arms. "You know I love you, right?"

That brought her attention back to him with a snap. "Of course I do. What brought that on?"

"I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately. Living with you these past few months has been so great and I've never had so much fun. And after what happened with Oliver, when you lost your memory of who I really was, it kinda put things into perspective for me. It made me realise that I don't want to go on living a lie with you. That I want to share everything and anything with you."

She moved one of her hands up to his face, the other still keeping a knuckle white grip on his arm. "I want that too. Sometimes it feels weird to have someone to talk to about just anything. I didn't really have any friends that I could do that with when I was younger. But you, you changed the way I saw people and for that I am grateful because I was severely jaded when it came to us humans."

"No you weren't," he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know you think you hide your feelings pretty well, that people won't ever know what's really going on inside, but I do. I see what's in there Lois." He placed his hand over her heart.

"You're the only one who does." she admitted and he knew it took a lot for her to so. But that was how she was with him. How he was with her. Together they just made so much sense.

"And I love you too Smallville."

"I know." He paused and let go of her with one arm.

"Clark!" she shrieked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Calm down Lois, I won't drop you, I swear." He reached into his pocket and fished out the little box that had been burning a hole in there all day. She saw it and gasped.

"Lois…" he croaked, because his throat had gone really dry and all of a sudden he felt so nervous. He drew in a steely breath and stared into her hazel eyes. "Lois Lane, will you marry me?"

"You couldn't have asked me that on the safe ground?" she retorted, shocking him slightly. Then her face broke into the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her. "Of course I'll marry you Clark."

"Wow, that was easier than I thought." he murmured, mostly to himself, but she'd heard it anyway.

"Excuse me, what did you think I was going to say?" When he shrugged, she scoffed, looking mildly offended and punched him in the shoulder, but with his other hand still holding the ring, she slipped from his grasp.

Her scream rang through his ears as she began falling, but he swooped down and caught her a second later. In the safety of his arms, her gasps started slowing as he lowered them both back to the ground.

But when he put her down, her face had gone pale and she was visibly shaking. His own heart was beating fast enough too, he knew he would catch her but still, it was pretty scary.

"Lois, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"You said you wouldn't drop me." she gasped.

"Well, in all fairness Lois, punching me in the middle of the sky is probably not the best idea…" he trailed off at her glare and fell quiet.

"You jerk!" she yelled, but her face wasn't as angry as her voice.

He held the box out to her again, putting on his best pleading face that he knew she could never resist. "Will you still marry me?"

She stared at him for a few moments, then at the ring, then she crossed her arms and tilted her head at him, a gleam appearing in her eyes. "Maybe. But only if you promise to take me flying again. Without dropping me this time."

Well, that surprised him. He thought for sure she would never want to go flying with him again. "I did catch you Lois. But I promise that I will never, ever drop you again." He stepped forward and took her left hand in his. "But you know I'll always catch  
you."

"I know you will." she replied, but she was smiling again as she held out her left hand.

"I love you so much, Lois. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Only you." He stared into her eyes as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

Her own gaze was glued to his, her smile widening as tears appeared. "That sounds like a great idea. I love you too, Smallville."

She couldn't believe it. Clark had proposed to her. And she'd said yes. Lois Lane was going to marry Clark Kent. And nothing in the world had ever felt so right.

**_The End_**


End file.
